Disgaea: Driven Destiny
by Iskahaji
Summary: It's been two years since Nick and his siblings have returned home but they discover that there is more trouble in the Netherworld A tyrannical new group called Enigma has taken control and is doing as they please to the populace Its time to start a rebellion! Join Nick and the newly formed Team Advent in their quest Part of the Disgaea: Fates Series. Sequel to Disgaea: Fate Awaits
1. Vol 1: Mission 1 The Return

"_Come back to the Netherworld."_

Mr. Harrison (History) stormed into the principal's office along with Miss Applegate (English), Mr. Lawson (Chem) and Mr. Johnson (P.E) . Mrs. Harold looked at her furious teachers and sighed.

"Let me guess, it has something to do with the Ali kids." She said.

"You're damn right it does. Those kids are outta control." Mr. Harrison said angrily.

"They blew up my lab. Again! Claiming they were making some kinda weird potion." Mr. Lawson raising his hands up in anger.

"They tried to conceive me that there's this place called the Netherworld and it's real." Miss Applegate said.

"That Isa girl scares me." Mr. Johnson said in a terrified voice.

"We're with you Joe." Mr. Harrison said as all the teachers shuddered.

"Yes, they have become a bit more outgoing these past two years. However, they're all good kids. Just let me speak to them." Mrs. Harold said.

The teachers grumbled as they all filed out. Mrs. Harold sighed again as she buzzed for the kids.

It's been two years since they've mysteriously vanished and just as mysteriously returned. They changed. They have seemed to have grown more confident, fearless and defiant. It normally would be a good thing but they seem to not know how to restrain themselves. The three kids entered her office. She watched them as they filed in. First there was Isa who on the surface seemed to be a nice young girl. But she had a sharp tongue and attacks anyone she didn't like. The next was Amy who was the most down to earth and mature of the group. However, if she(like her siblings) was crossed, she could be just as violent. The last was the eldest Nick. He was the most good natured of the bunch and the most easy going but here fused to see any kind of injustice. That was one of his most admirable traits and his biggest problem.

"So, what's up Mrs. Harold?" Idman asked.

"You know very well why you are here." Mrs. Harold said looking at us intently.

"Was it because we blew up the lab again?" Ayan asked.

"No, Mr. Lawson would have just accidentally blown it up on his own. That man's clumsier than you all put together." Mrs. Harold said.

"Was it because Idman threatened to suck the blood of half the students?" I asked.

"At least she didn't act on it this time." Mrs. Harold said wryly.

Ayan and I shuddered as we remembered. "Was it because of what I did yesterday?" I asked sheepishly.

"Yes,"Mrs. Harold said simply.

"It was an accident." I said uselessly.

Mrs. Harold looked at me. "Was it really? Try to remember." She said.

[Flashback]

"Alright, we have a very special guest here. He's the instructor from the local karate dojo. He's here to speak to you all about self defense." Mr. Johnson told our class.

(For the best effect, imagine someone who looks and acts like the leader of the Cobra Kai from the original Karate Kid. Because it's funnier that way.) The man was accompanied by two teenage boys who didn't look all that happy to be there. He started speaking about basic self defense but for some reason it didn't sound like he knew what he was talking about.

"Now, allow me to demonstrate. You, come here." He said pointing at one of the boys with him.

The boy walked cautiously towards warning, he grabbed the kid by the arm and flipped him on his back.

"Your turn." He said as he knocked the other boy on his ass.

"Any questions?" He asked.

I raised my hand. "You, nerd boy." He said.

"Yeah, I don't buy that you know what you're talking about. You just seem to like knocking people on their butts." I said.

"Oh really, would you care to show me the right way?" He asked me with a smirk. I shrugged.

"Okay," I said walking towards him.

"So, come at me." He said going into a fighting stance.

"I don't want to hurt you. So, why don't you come at me?" I said smiling.

The class laughed and the man looked annoyed.

"Fine," He said coming towards me.

Without hesitation, I sweeped his legs knocking him onto his back. I followed up with a punch to the chest.

"Ooops, I didn't mean to do that." I said sheepishly. I looked at the man. I waved my hand in his face.

"Huh, I knocked him out." I said mildly surprised. The class looked at me in shock.

[End of Flashback]

"He ended up two broken ribs." Mrs. Harold said to me.

"I tried to apologize to him at the hospital but when I visited him he pointed at me and shouted "MONSTER!" really loudly. I think he was under medication or something." I said rubbing my chin.

Mrs. Harold sighed. "I know that you're good kids but you have to stop getting into to trouble. It's not going to convince the other teachers their wrong if you keep doing things like this." She said.

"Things were a lot easier in the Netherworld. No rules and I could beat the shit out of anyone who pissed me off." Isa said.

"Another thing, you have to stop mentioning this Netherworld. It doesn't exist." Mrs. Harold said.

I smiled. "We understand Mrs. Harold. We'll be good from now on." I said.

"Alright, then. Get to class." She said.

As we walked to our classes, my siblings looked at me.

"What? You know that no one believes us. It's better to just let it go anyway." I said.

"You don't really think that do you?" Amy asked me.

I grinned. "Just get to class guys." I said waving to them as I walked off.

Amy and Isa were right I thought as I drifted through my classes. I did miss the Netherworld. I missed the insanity of it. I missed the fun of it. But most of all I just missed our friends.

I sighed. But I can't go back. As long as we somehow pose a threat to the safety of our two worlds, we just can't take that risk. After school let out, I went to Mr. Harold's Bookstore which is where I always go when I need to clear my head.

"Oh hello Nick. What brings you by today?" He asked me with a smile.

"Nothing much. " I said in response.

"Did she chew you out today too?" He asked knowingly.

"Yeah, a little bit." I said smiling.

"You know that she has your best interests at heart." He said.

"I know but things haven't been going so well since we came back." I said sitting down in one of the old (but comfortable) reading chairs.

"You have changed quite a bit. But, you're still the same kid who would sit in that very chair, read all my books, and never pay me." Mr. Harold said with a twinkle in his eye.

I grinned. "At least you think so. Hey, do need any help? You told me you were getting a new shipment today." I said jumping out of the chair.

"Now that you mention it…" Mr. Harold said with a glint in his eye.

He pointed toward a massive tower of boxes stacked to the ceiling. "Whoa, it's the Tower of Bookbel." I said in awe.

"You can handle this if you can go around putting people in the hospital." He said smirking.

I rolled up my sleeves. "Stand back old man. This might get ugly." I said running headfirst into battle.

I was finishing helping Mr. Harold put the books away when I noticed something in the corner. It was a small fort built out of old books. I smiled. This was where Jack and I played as kids. All the stupid adventures we used to go on. I sighed. Jack moved away just after we had come back. There was a better physical therapist in the town he had moved to so there might be a chance he could walk again. I was sad but I was happy for him. We promised each other we'd met again.

[Flashback]

"Then we'll finally settle our score." He said to me with a grin.

"You think you can take me on little man? I've learned a few tricks." I said with a smirk.

"We'll see dude. I kicked your ass when we were kids and I could do it again." He said.

I smiled. "I'm glad you did. I kinda deserved it." I said softly.

Jack got a serious expression on his face.

"Don't let your past get you down ever. Things are different now." He said.

I nodded. "I know. Good luck Jack." I told him.

He waved as he wheeled himself onto his car lift. His brother helped fasten him down. Jack's parents nodded at me and they drove off.

[End of Flashback]

"It's getting late Nick. You should probably head home. I'll finish up here." Mr. Harold shouted from the front.

"Coming!" I said as I left the fort behind.

I came home tired but content.

"I'm home." I said as I unlocked the door.

"Mom and Dad are out with friends." Isa shouted at me.

"If you want food come here before Ian eats it all." Amy said poking her head out the kitchen door.

Ian looked at me too with a large piece of chicken dangling out of his mouth. He swallowed it whole and went back to snag another one.

"Don't mind if I do." I said going to grab some grub.

I went up to my room with the room intending to do some homework while I ate. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a blue hardbound book with the words "Book of Legends" written in silver lettering across the front. That was the thing that took us into the Netherworld. I looked it over a few times but aside from having all of our adventures written down it, nothing seems to be different about it. It hasn't glowed or written anything since.

One thing did bother me about it. All our adventures in the Netherworld were collected under the title "Disgaea: Fate Awaits" but there was another part called "Disgaea: Driven Destiny". The weird thing was that nothing was written in it. What could that mean? I thought. I shrugged. I'll figure it out eventually but for now let's do some Algebra. I began working but it wasn't long till I stopped. My mind slowly became fuzzy and the numbers began to blur. What's going on? I feel really sleepy all of a sudden. I guess a power nap can't hurt I thought as threw myself onto my bed and laid my head down.

"_Come back to the Netherworld." I heard a familiar voice say._

_ I woke up. I was in a large green field. The Netherworld? How did I get here? I thought. I looked over and saw Yuki. She looked at me with a pained expression on her face. _

_"Yuki, what's happening?" I asked her. _

_"Enigma." She said softly. _

_I walked over to her. She suddenly disappeared. She was replaced with a large dark figure. _

_"Who are you?" I asked. _

_"It will belong to me. There is nothing you can do to stop me." It said in a horrifying scratchy voice that seemed to echo in my head._

_ I felt an incredible mana pressure coming from this being. It was like nothing I have ever felt before. _

_"Everything that ever was and shall be belongs to me." It said as it enveloped me._

_ I tried to get away but I couldn't move. It laughed manically as it swallowed me. I was scared more scared than I had ever felt in my entire life. Then everything was dark and still._

I woke up with a start. My heart was still beating furiously and I was covered in sweat. I breathed deeply. It was dream. Only a dream. But, it felt so real. I could feel that thing's horrible coldness surround me. Suddenly, my room began to light up. I looked over and saw the Book of Legends. It was glowing just as it had the night it took us to the Netherworld for the first time. It then became very still. I grabbed it and turned the page. Under the Disgaea: Driven Destiny part, it started with a single sentence that turned my blood to ice.

"_Come back to the Netherworld." _I knew what I had to do.

"I've got to go back." I said to myself.

"What do you mean your dream came true?" Idman asked me in confusion.

"Guys, I had this dream. In it Yuki tells me to come back and look what's written here." I said pointing to the Book of Legends.

Darkness came across their faces. "They're in trouble aren't they?" Ayan asked softly.

"I think so." I said.

"Well, then what the hell are we waiting for? We have to go back to save them." Idman said jumping.

"But, we fought so hard to come here. If we go back, what if the prophecy comes true? What if we end up destroying both worlds?" I asked.

"We can't just stay here. If your dream comes true, then shit is gonna get messed up anyway. We have to go. We can't just leave them there." Ayan said.

They were right but I don't want to go back because I was scared the prophecy might come true. I don't want to hurt people. I promised myself I wouldn't ever go back to the way I was before. I felt my little brother's arm on my shoulder. He had a determined expression on his face.

"If our friends are being hurt by the bad guys then we go beat the crap outta them." He said to me.

I smiled. "Okay, we're going to go back." I said.

"Well, how leader boy?" Idman snapped.

I grinned and held up the Remnant. "You still have that?" All my siblings cried in shock.

"Duh, it's not like it evaporates or something." I said.

In the human world there is a lot less natural mana in the world to tap into but it should be enough to…. The Remnant began to glow with a warm light. I picked up the book and opened it up so it was standing upright. It was on the part of "Disgaea: Driven Destiny". My siblings and I all held onto the Remnant and poured all our mana into it. The book began to glow and things in my room began flying around.

Just you wait guys, we're coming to save you I thought.

In a burst of blue light, we were gone.


	2. Mission 2 Enigma

I opened my eyes and I was in a town that looked familiar.

"I'm in Terel." I said looking around at the town that became our home for 4 years.

I smiled and looked at my siblings as they got back up.

"We're back aren't we?" Amy asked grinning.

I nodded. "WHOOO! I can finally kick people's butts." Isa said excitedly.

"Come on, we should go tell everyone what we've been doing." I said as we rushed off to Yuki's house which doubled as the Team's H.Q.

We all made it the house but we all stopped. My heart was in my throat. Something was horribly wrong. "Nick, what's going on?" Amy said her voice trembling. "This can't be happening." Isa said in shock. Our home was a pile of rubble.

We all picked through the debris hoping to find a clue or two but all I could gather was that this wasn't recent. The place was dusty and it felt like it was done years ago.

"We have to find everyone." I said.

"Pixie Pub." Ian said simply.

"Good idea bro." I said smiling.

"Phil probably knows what's going on." Isa said. We all headed back into town hoping to met the bartender. The Pixie Pub was the mercenary's haven. It was were people posted the best jobs and it was full to the brim of all sorts of crazy people. But, it was a great place too. It was still standing and looked exactly how it used too. I sneezed.

"You know how you get with dust." Amy said.

"It's fine. Let's go in." I said while rubbing my nose. Instead of seeing all sorts of demons arguing, laughing and fighting we saw nothing. It was empty. That's not possible. This place is almost always full and even late at night you'll find the odd person or two.

"Hello? Phil?" I called out. All I heard was my own echo.

"What happened while we were gone?" Amy asked as she looked at the dusty chairs.

"It's like everyone moved away." Isa said.

"You can say something like that." I heard someone say.

"Phil!" I said looking at the middle aged demon was wiping a glass.

"Well, if it isn't our best human customers. I heard you all went back to were you came from." Phil said smiling.

"We're here on vacation. Where is everyone Phil? Have you seen the rest of our team?" I asked him.

"You all don't know what happened do you?" He asked.

"Come on, it's only been two years. What could have happened?" Isa asked. He looked at us funny.

"It's been 200 hundred years since you all left." He said. We looked at him. "WHAT?"

"I guess time travels differently in your world. Things have changed here kids." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"First of all, all mercenary teams and guilds have been disbanded." He said.

"Are you saying there are no mercenaries any more? Then who takes the jobs?" I asked.

"Our new overlord handles that." Phil said bitterly.

"But, what about our team? Have you seen them?" Amy asked.

"Team Valiant huh? They've become practically legends now. The team lead by humans that defeated the demon lords. It was the first thing he did to demonstrate his power." Phil said with a far away look.

A chill ran down my spine. "He didn't." I said quietly.

"He killed them and destroyed their base." He said. We all jumped up. "NO WAY! Our friends are the strongest. There is no way they would lose." We all shouted.

"Engima. That's what their called. The group of demons who have taken control of the Netherworld. " He said.

"I don't care what they're called. They're dead!" Isa shouted.

"You can't beat them. The reason they're so powerful is that they have the power to seal a demon's mana." Phil said.

"How can that be possible?" I said in shock.

Phil shrugged. "It's how they can go unopposed. It's probably how they beat your friends too." He said.

"I don't believe it." I said simply.

"Huh? Listen kid, it's better if you all just go back where you came from. These people are monsters. You can't beat them." Phil said.

"I'm not going anywhere." Isa said. "Yeah, we have to find our friends." Amy said. "And beat the bad guys." Ian said.

I looked at the worried look on Phil's face and grinned. "We aren't stupid. I've already got a plan of action." I said tapping my head.

"You do?" Everyone asked me in surprise. I nodded.

"First, we find the rest of Team Valiant. Next, we find out Engima's weakness. Then, we kick their ass." I said listing them off.

They all sweat dropped. "Some plan." Ayan muttered. "I like it." Isa and Ian said grinning.

"Well, I guess your best bet would be to try Ethel. I've heard rumors of powerful demons fighting Engima over there." Phil said.

I nodded. "Alright, off to Ethel." I said. I heard a loud gong. Then suddenly, a lot of people came by running. "What's going on?" I asked. I looked at Phil who had suddenly gotten pale. "It's a public execution." He said. "Not on my watch." We all said as we ran in the direction of the gong.

A large stage was set up and two young demons were tied up on it. They were surrounded by demons with an upside sword symbol (Something like this -E- but you know upside down) on their chests.

"I see you have all gathered. Good, we can commence the execution of these rebels." One man said.

He pointed at the two demons. "These two interrupted two of our guards on patrol and attacked them."

"They were attacking a family for no reason!" The boy shouted. One of the guards punched him.

"They refused what our guards wanted. Engima commands and you listen." The man said.

I couldn't take this shit anymore. "HEY ASSHOLE!" I shouted.

The man looked at the crowd. "You dare mock me?" He asked me menacingly.

"You have no right to take a life!" I shouted.

"Guards!" He shouted. Two of the guards came at me swords drawn. I sidestepped them and let my mana skyrocket.

"_Rising Dragon!" _I shouted hitting both of them with a fiery upper cut and sending them flying.

"Show off." My sisters muttered.

I picked up the sword. "Now this feels much better." I said grinning while twirling around the sword.

"Let's see if I remember how this works." I said going into a fighting stance.

That mana pressure isn't normal the man on the stage thought.

"You're powerful boy. But, that mana is worthless if you can't use it!" The man said pointing his palm at me.

"_SEAL!" _He shouted. A pulse of energy hit me. I felt cold again. It's like what happened in my dream. I sneezed. Damn allergies I thought.

"Guards, he can't use mana now. Destroy him!" He shouted as other guards came towards me.

I do feel a little weird but this doesn't feel like I thought it would. It feels… familiar. Isa picked up a sword from the ground and Ian came rushing forwards.

"_Blade Rush!" _Isa shouted going through two of them.

_"Tiger Strike!" _Ian said launching one of them backwards with his fists.

"More of you." The leader said in shock. He stepped back.

"Amy," I said calmly. She raised her arm which she steadied with her other arm.

"_GIGA ICE!" _She shouted freezing the man in place. He turned into a block of ice. Amy brought her open hand into a fist. The ice shattered launching the man into the air. He landed on his back unconscious. I came up to the stage and cut the demons free.

"Show's over people. Unless you'd like to hear my stand up. I have this great joke about…" I started but everyone was already gone.

"What? Did I have a booger or something?" I asked in confusion.

My siblings jumped on stage as well.

"They didn't think someone would stand up to them. They don't want to be around when Engima finds out." The boy said.

"Huh? But they were total pushovers." Isa said flippantly.

"You don't understand. No one goes against Engima." The girl said.

"Well, I think it's time someone started to." I said grinning.

"Who are you?" The pair asked us in confusion.

"Huh? Oh, that's Amy over there. Isa's the crazy girl and the little guy is Ian. And I'm Nick." I said introducing us.

"Wait, that sounds familiar. Don't tell me you're those humans who fought the Demon Lords 200 hundred years ago?" The boy asked.

"Wow, I didn't know we were famous." Amy said smirking.

"So, you want to take on Engima?" The girl asked. I nodded.

"Well, then, I'm in. I can't stand them either. The name's Lily Dmitri. I'm a gunslinger." The girl said.

"I'm with her. I'm Blake Kael. I use an axe." He said.

"Cool, so the Team has been formed. Advent." I said.

"Advent?" Everyone asked me.

"That's the name of this team. We can't exactly call it Valiant till we get everyone else back." I said grinning.

"Well, then. Where do we go now?" Blake asked.

"Easy, we're off to Ethel. I'm sure we'll find everyone there." I said hopping down from the stage. Everyone followed.

Team Advent huh? Someone watching us from the shadows thought. This could be quite troublesome.


	3. Mission 3 Tale of A Kitamura Swordsman

We headed straight out of town after our first run in with Enigma and went to the next town Hale.

"Ah, this brings back memories. Mostly bad ones but memories nonetheless." I said with a smile looking at the small town Gunny calls home.

"One of our friends went on a murderous rampage here." Isa added helpfully.

"I see." Blake and Lily said unsure of themselves.

"We should go to the local pub. We might find some clues there." Amy said.

"Good thinking." I said to my sister as we walked into the bar.

There a few more people here than Terel but it was still much emptier than it used to be. The few people that were there stared at us more specifically Lily. To be even more specific, a certain part of her anatomy. By that I mean her giant boobs. I walked up to the barkeep who was ogling Lily (who seemed to enjoy the attention).

"I'm looking for a young female swordsman who wears traditional looking clothes." I said to the man.

"This isn't a whore house besides that's a weird fetish kid." He told me.

"Wait, no, that's not what I meant. She's my friend and we go on awesome adventures like the time we did the Yay dance. That was cool. Anyways, have you seen someone like that?" I said to him.

"Come on kid, I can tell you just made that up. Listen my brother owns this place and it's very nice. I can even get you a discount." He said winking.

"I'M NOT A PREV!" I shouted.

"We call them sophisticated ladies." He said.

While I was busy trying to convince the man I wasn't a perv, everyone else in the place was hitting on Lily.

"Don't you two feel jealous?" Blake asked looking at Lily flirt.

"Jealous that a bunch of middle aged demons who are drunk at 2 in the afternoon aren't hitting on us? No not really." Amy said sarcastically.

"Besides, isn't she your girlfriend?" Isa asked him.

"She's my partner. We have a strictly professional relationship." Blake said.

"You struck out hard didn't you?" Amy and Isa asked.

"Big time." Blake said sadly.

I walked back to my friends bright red and holding a piece of paper. "What's that?" Amy asked.

"It's a coupon for a two for one deal at Mike's Sophisticated Ladies Emporium." I muttered.

Isa took the coupon from me and handed it to Blake.

"You seem like you need this more than he does." Isa said.

Lily came back to the group. "There a guy who says he saw a girl who fits your description around town. He says she even picks fights with Enigma and shouts about honor and junk." Lily said.

"You weren't flirting then?" Blake asked.

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Who would flirt with a bunch of dudes who are drunk at 2 in the afternoon?" She asked him. "Told you." Amy and Isa said. "We can find Yuki." Iansaid. "Yup, let's go." I said dashing out of the bar.

"So, who's the Yuki exactly? You say she's really strong but what's she like." Lily said.

"She's smart, calm and composed in battle but she's pretty fun around her friends. She protects the weak and stands up against the bad guys. She's the person who taught me how to use a sword. Also, she's pretty." I said.

Lily and Blake exchanged knowing looks and Amy and Isa smirked. "What?" I asked.

"You totally love her." They all said.

"She's one of my best friends. Of course I love her." I said confused.

"Just forget about him and Yuki. They're both romantically retarded." Isa said.

"Well, if she's as great as she sounds, why did you leave her?" Lily asked me.

"I couldn't risk going back to the way I was." I said softly.

Lily and Blake looked confused. Amy and Isa both got uncomfortable expressions on their faces. Ian looked up suddenly. "Mana spike." He said as I felt it too.

"That feels like Yuki's mana!" I said as we rushed over to the center of town.

A black haired girl in a loose fitting dress that was red/white was holding a sword.

"Is that her?" Blake asked.

"No, but I'm guessing she's probably someone we know." I said as we ran to help the girl. She moved in the fluid and graceful style of the Kitamura clan.

"Hey, Jade." I said to Yuki's sister.

She looked at me and up close I could tell the difference easier. Jade had green eyes while her sister had blue. Jade had a rounder face than Yuki. Plus her overall expression was much softer than Yuki's steely look in battle.

"Nick? Amy? Isa? I thought you guys went back to the human world." Jade said.

The last we saw of Jade she was our enemy and was with a dark guild called Descent. However, after we defeated them, Jade had loosened up more and changed her ways.

"Well, we're back. So need a hand?" I asked bringing out my sword.

"Be my quest." Jade said as we both rushed at our attackers.

"Should we help them?" Blake asked readying his axe.

"Not this fight. I want you to see what the Kitamura Swords Style can do." Amy said.

"Besides, we can bet on the outcome. Who thinks Jade will get more kills?" Isa asked.

Jade and I rushed towards the Enigma soldiers who attacked us. Jade dodged under the attack smoothly and ,with a flick of her wrist, she sent the opponent's blade flying. Another one came toward her but she flipped over him and he bumped into his ally.

"_Blade Rush!_" She said going through both of them. I parried and dodged the blows of two swordsman without missing a beat. They both thrusted towards me at the same time but I leaped up.

"_Met Sever!"_ I shouted hitting them with the horizontal slash. The last one was their leader. He came at us both but we both leaped sideways and out of the way so he ended up smashing the ground. Jade and I then ran next to each other side by side and straight at the big demon.

_ "Blade Cross!_" We both said going through him and forming an X shaped slash.

The big guy fell over defeated.

"Aw, it's dead even." Isa pouted.

"Ian, how did you guess that?" Lily asked him.

He shrugged. "Jade, have you seen Yuki?" I asked her after the fight.

She shook her head and a worried look crossed her face. "I haven't seen her in years. I was hoping you'd have a clue." She said.

"Oh well, at least we found you. What are doing getting into random fights?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, you didn't even save some for me and Dees!" Isa complained.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stand by and watch these people be wronged. That is the way of the Kitamura Samurai." She said intensely.

I smiled. "You really have changed Jade." I said.

"Blame it on you and my sister's stupidity." She said smirking.

Lily and Blake leaned over to Amy and Isa. "Did those two have a thing too?" They asked.

"I don't think so. Maybe samurai girls have a fetish for dumb asses." Isa said.

"I'M NOT A PREV!" I shouted instinctively upon hearing the word fetish. Jade looked at me oddly.

"I'm sorry, I've just had a really bad day." I said sheepishly.

Isa and Amy both got evil grins on their faces. "FETISH! FETISH! FETISH!" They shouted at me.

I covered my ears screaming as I ran away.

"Oh I am so gonna love the rest of the trip." Isa said rubbing her hands in evil gee as she and Amy chased me.

Ian had tuned out the rest of us and was sitting down digging at the dirt randomly.

"Were they always like this?" Lily asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Jade said.


	4. Mission 4 Bonding Excerise

We had moved on to Alwen with Jade and headed straight for the Thief Academy the town was so famous for.

"Why the hell are we going here? I don't want to get robbed." Lily said.

"Well, one of our teammates was a thief. Kinda, sorta." I said.

"Pfft, Dan was terrible at being a thief." Isa said.

"He was pretty good at stealing panties though." Amy said thoughtfully.

"And my underwear." I added helpfully.

Lily and Blake looked at Jade for an explanation.

"Hey, I don't know what all the weird crap these guys say means." She said.

We entered the building and the same blue haired receptionist was there.

"You've been working here for 200 hundred years?" I asked in amazement.

"Hey, times are tough. What do you want?" She asked.

"We'd like to see Demon Lord Hella please." Amy said.

"Now." Isa added. The girl looked at us.

"Demon Lord Hella hasn't been here in years. She's completely vanished." The girl said.

"Well, have you seen Dan around here?" I asked.

"I haven't seen him since he tried asking me out a few years ago." She said.

"Did you say yes?" Lily asked her. The girl simply pointed upwards.

There was a large person shaped hole in the ceiling.

"Huh, you should get that fixed." I said looking upwards.

"The Thief Academy has a strict no paying anyone policy." The girl said.

"Why does that not surprise me?" We all muttered.

"Well, thanks anyway." I said as we headed out of the academy.

"Wait, you're those humans right? The ones who beat the demon lords years ago." The girl asked.

"Yup, we're those badasses." Isa said.

"Well, I was wondering if you might be able to help me out." The girl said.

"Why would we help you?" Everyone asked.

"Sure," I said. They all looked at me.

"Really?" The girl asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah. What is it that you need help with?" I asked her.

"My brother has been taken by Enigma." She said.

The girl (called Emma) told us that some Enigma soldiers threatened her brother (Justin) into joining them.

"Are you sure we can do this?" Lily asked me.

"Enigma's fighters are pretty strong." Blake said.

"Even if they are strong, I can't just let them do what they want. We're going to get Emma's brother back safe and sound." I said.

"Alright then, let's get to that recruiting place she told us about." Amy said.

"Wait, let you guys stay back. We'll handle this." I said to my siblings.

"What? Aw, come on. I want to beat people up too." Isa whined.

"Shouldn't we all go together?" Amy asked.

"Trust me. There's a reason I'm doing this." I said to them.

"Okay, but if you get killed don't come crying to us." Amy and Isa both said.

"Be careful." Ian said to me.

I nodded. Blake, Lily, and Jade looked confused. "What's going on?" Jade asked me.

"Huh, nothing really. Let's go save Emma's brother." I said going towards the center of Alwen.

There was a large group of Enigma soldiers who were standing in front of a sign up desk. There was a long line of demons who were joining the Enigma but they didn't seem to like it.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Lily asked me.

"Well, the way I see it, we have two options. A) We jump in guns blazing or B) We find Justin and then jump in guns blazing." I said.

They sweat dropped. "How about we pretend to sign up and then sneak the guy out?" Blake suggested.

"But, then we wouldn't have to fight then." I said confused.

"Just follow our lead." Jade said.

"Okay, we'll go with your weird plan but I'm ready with plan A just in case." I said.

We all went in the line and looked for Justin. We ended up in the front of the line without finding him.

"So, why are you qualified to join Enigma?" The man at the desk asked.

"Um, I'm good with a gun?" Lily asked.

"We're good fighters I guess." Blake said.

"That isn't enough. We're looking for more than just fighters." He said.

"Well, you have five scouts on the roofs surrounding us with guns. Those fighters sticks transform into spears and you've got mages in each of the houses in the center. They seem to be galaxy mages judging from their mana pressure." I said thinking.

Everyone looked at me in shock. " I-Impossible. How did you know that?" The recruiter said.

"What? Isn't it obvious?" I asked confused.

"Sir, isn't that the boy who attacked our soldiers in Hale and Terel?" Another soldier asked the recruiter.

His eyes widened. "ATTACK!" He shouted.

"This is why I don't bother with stealth." I said drawing my sword.

"Lily, two at the north and south and one at the east." I said crossing swords with a soldier.

"_Spread Shot!" _Lily shouted pointing her six shooter in the air.

The one shot separated into five shots that hit their mark. "Jade. Blake. Destroy those houses please." I said knocking out another guard.

Jade and Blake leaped into the air. "_Winged Slayer!" _Jade shouted attacking with a large wing shaped slash.

"_Colossal Fissure!" _Blake shouted slamming his axe into the ground causing a large crack into the ground that the house fell into.

"Well, that takes care of the mages and gunners." I said looking at the fighters with spears.

"We have the advantage here swordsman." They taunted. I grinned.

"Not really." I said as I dashed around the group at an insane speed. I stopped suddenly which caused a large tornado around the group.

"_Hurricane Slash!" _I said attacking the fighters trapped in the whirlwind. I landed on the ground and the group fell unconscious.

"You are certainly powerful but you are no match for me!" The recruiter said as his mana pressure increased. He launched magical blasts at us but we all managed dodged it.

"You're pretty strong. Guess I'll have to get serious. REMNANT! FULL MANA TRANFER!" I shouted holding the Remnant in the air.

My body began to pulse with the combined power of my siblings and I.

"Class Change! Blaze Blader!" I said as my body exploded with fiery power.

The shockwave pushed all the other soldiers out of the way. My eyes were bright orange and I held my sword. The recruiter looked at me in shock.

"Y-You're a monster!" He shouted.

"Why do people keep calling me that?" I asked confused.

I jumped into the air. "_Flaming Crescent!" _I shouted attacking with a red crescent shaped slash.

It hit the recruiter with incredible force and exploded. The recruiter fell over unconscious. I sighed as I returned to my normal self. My Iron Sword melted in my hands.

"Ah crap, I guess I'll need a new sword." I said scratching my head.

Everyone was looking at me in awe. "I knew you were strong but I didn't expect something like that." Jade said.

"It's my secret weapon." I said grinning.

"We teamed up with some crazy people this time Blake." Lily said smiling.

We reunited the siblings and we all headed off towards the next town.

"We missed another fight. I hope you got wanted." Isa said.

"Yup, I sure did." I said.

"You were testing us weren't you?" Blake asked.

I smiled. "Is that why you made them stay behind?" Jade asked.

"Maaaaybe." I said walking slowly ahead.

"Hey, tell us!" Lily, Jade and Blake shouted chasing me.

"Our brother may be an idiot but when it comes to fighting, he's pretty smart." Amy said smiling.

"He's still mostly an idiot though." Isa said looking at me getting chased by everyone.

"I wanna chase him too!" Ian said running after us.

**Authors Notes:**

**Next chapter, the first real fight with Engima and just because I feel like it it's going to be released tomorrow! Be sure to check out my profile because that's where I usually say stuff like this. Till next time!  
**


	5. Mission 5 Enigma's Power

"Gilded, The industrial center of the Netherworld. This place is even bigger than I remember." I said staring at the massive city.

"Come on, we need to try and find Mayor Archest. He maybe able to tell us where to find Emily and everyone else." I said as headed towards Archest Manor. But it was burnt to the ground.

"Why am I not surprised?" Amy asked with a bitter smile.

I sighed. "I'm guessing Emily or Mayor Archest aren't around here either." I said disappointed.

Our demon friends looked at our faces. "Well, come on cheer up. I'm sure we'll be able to find them. Right Jade?" Blake asked her.

"Team Valiant was strong no doubt about it but Enigma aren't exactly weak either." Jade said.

"That just made it worse." Blake hissed looking at our faces.

"I know what will cheer them up. I'll take my top up. That usually perks everyone up." Lily suggested.

"You don't have to do something like that Lily.." I started but Blake grabbed me by the collar.

"SAY YES YOU FOOL!" He shouted while shaking me violently.

My siblings began to laugh. Blake let me go. "Thanks guys. The odds maybe be against us but we aren't giving up. I know our friends are out there. We just have to find them." I said with a smile while struggling to keep my balance.

A large group of people came running past us. "What's going on?" I asked one of the demons.

"Surt! One of Enigma's Twelve is here!" The man shouted while running past us.

"Enigma's Twelve. I've heard of their power. Maybe we shouldn't get into a fight with him." Jade suggested.

"Too late." I said as I looked at the group of people in front of us.

He was a tall blonde haired demon with dark red eyes. He had the the usual Enigma symbol on his uniform but it also had a roman numeral one on it. But that wasn't that wasn't made us tense up. His mana pressure. It was bigger than all of ours combined. This is the strongest person I've ever seen I thought.

"So you are the humans that are causing us problems. It looks like you won't have to get involved Master Surt. We can handle this." A purple haired demon standing next to him said.

"Class Change guys. We need to go all out right now." I said. They nodded.

"Mystic Ranger." Amy said as she held her black/blue guns.

"Tempest." Ian said clenching his fists.

"Blade Dancer!" Isa said drawing two swords.

"Buster Blader!" I said holding my sword.

Jade, Blake and Lily readied themselves. "You all are accused of rebelling against Enigma. A crime punishable by death." The man said.

"I'm guessing we just can't do community service." I asked sheepishly.

"Kill Them!" He shouted to the soldiers. We all rushed in.

_"Ice Beam!"_ Amy shouted shooting two ice blasts that merged into one at the soldiers freezing them in place.

_"Mega Kick!"_ _"Vampric Edge!" _Ian and Isa shouted attacking the helpless soldiers and blasting them out of their shells.

"_Violent Storm!"_ Blake shouted as he attacked the group with furious slashes and knocked them into Jade who had begun circling the group.

_"Hurricane Slash!" _Jade shouted as she stopped and trapped the group in a hurricane and attacked them. She knocked them downwards to Lily.

_"Giga Blast!" _Lily said pointed her gun downwards and pulled the trigger.

Large chunks of rock blasted upwards and pummeled the soldiers. They fell to the ground still managing to stay conscious after the full on assault. Team Advent is definitely more of an offensive force than Valiant I thought. I gripped my sword and let my mana flow.

"_Winged Slayer!" _I shouted finishing it.

The purple haired demon looked shocked. "W-what are you people?" He asked in shock.

I smiled. "We're Team Advent. And we're going to take you all down." I said pointing my sword at him.

"We'll see how you do that with no mana. _SEAL!" _ The demon shouted pointing his palm at us.

I felt that feeling again. It was cold but again it felt oddly familiar. I sneezed.

"Now, you will all die! _Omega Star!_" The demon said shooting a massive ball of yellow energy at us.

It exploded with force. "HA! I told you sir that I could handle it." The demon said.

Surt looked at the area where the attack went off. He smiled. "These humans are interesting." He said.

I had changed to paladin and along with Amy put up a large shield. "That's impossible! I sealed you all!" The demon shouted.

"I knew it. Those humans are Epitaphs." Surt said.

We all looked at him confused. "What's that?" I asked him.

"You're kidding right?" The demon asked.

I shook my head. Surt sighed. "An Epitaph is what we call a demon, or in your case human, whose mana flow is unusual. Epitaphs also have the ability to affect the mana of other demons which is what Marcus tried to do." Surt said.

Just like what I did to Valiant I thought. I guess that explains why my siblings and I are weird but I still don't fully get it. "Hey, can someone turn into an Epitaph?" I asked Surt.

"That's not possible. At least it's not possible in your world." Surt said.

"What do you mean "your world"?" Amy asked.

"I've said too much already. Marcus, stand back. I will handle this personally." Surt said as his mana pressure skyrocketed. He's defiantly strong.

"We can't use any mana so I guess we'll leave it to you." Lily said to us.

Isa smirked. "Then sit back and enjoy the show." She said as she rushed straight at Surt.

She slashed at him with her dual swords but Surt dodged her with seemingly little effort. Ian leaped over her. "_Mach Kick!" _ He shouted but Surt blocked the attack and pushed him backwards.

"He's fast alright." I said as I switched to Buster Blader.

"Not for long." Amy said her eyes flashing blue.

As I rushed forwards Ian and Isa both leaped sideways to give me a clear shot.

"_Met Sever!" _I said attacking with the horizontal slash.

It hit Surt dead on but it didn't leave a scratch on him.

"Amy, NOW!" I shouted as I jumped out of the way.

"_Ice Beam!" _Amy shouted blasting Surt and freezing him in a large block of ice. But Surt broke free almost instantly.

"I'm disappointed. I was expecting more from you humans. It seems you're only able to fight against weaklings." He said.

He moved forwards so fast he was almost invisible. He punched Ian and kicked Isa breaking through her sword. The pair flew backwards crashing into a building.

"_Ice Beam!" _Amy shouted.

"_Fire!" _Surt said pointing his hand at her.

His blast blazed through her attack and blasted her backwards. "_Flaming Crescent!" _I shouted attacking with my go to skill.

Surt knocked it away but shot another Fire spell at me. It hit me like a truck and I went head first into a metal wall. "Do you see now? This is the power of Enigma. You have no chance." He said.

I stood up along with my siblings. "Nick, go for it." Isa said spitting out blood.

"Show this clown what we can do together." Amy said with her forehead bleeding.

Ian simply nodded. "Alright then, REMENANT! FULL MANA TRANSFER!" I shouted as the combined mana of my siblings and I began to flow through my veins.

"Class Change! Blaze Blader!" I said as my body exploded with fiery power.

I stared at Surt with blazing orange eyes. Surt smiled. "So this is your true power? Well, then boy, let's begin." Surt said.

I shot forwards and slashed at him. Surt managed to block my attack barehanded. I pushed away. "_Flaming Crescent!" _ I shouted attacking mid flip.

Surt put up his arms to block but the force of the attack still sent him skidding backwards. "You're power has jumped up drastically but it still isn't enough." Surt said.

"Then I'll show you the power my family and friends have given me!" I shouted.

I'm going to put everything into this blow. The attack that defeated the overlord. I pushed my power to its limit. "_DRAGON STRIKE!" _I shouted launching a fiery slash shaped like a roaring dragon.

It hit Surt with force and exploded. The entire area was set on fire. I panted as I struggled to maintain my Blaze Blader form. "This is the attack that felled the Overlord. No wonder it was so easy to gain control of this world." I heard Surt say.

He was standing in the fire completely unharmed and he raised his arm up. All the fire in the area gathered into in his palm and he put it out. "You call that fire power? I'll show you the true power of a Dragon." Surt said his eye blazing red.

He pointed his arm outwards. "_Nova Wave_!" He shouted as a massive beam of fire came straight towards me.

I tried to block it but it hit me. It was burning hot and I screamed in unimaginable pain. I fell to the ground in my normal form. If I wasn't in Blaze Blader form, I'd be dead I thought barely conscious.

"Let's go Marcus." Surt said turning his back on us.

"But sir, they are enemies of Enigma." Marcus started.

"These weaklings are no threat to us." He said walking away.

Marcus gave us one last look but followed Surt. "Guys are you okay!" Blake, Lily and Jade all asked us in panic.

I tried to reply but only coughed up blood. My vision stared to blur and my friends shouting became incoherent. I guess I'm not the hero you wanted me to be Casey…

I woke up my whole body in pain. I was bandaged up and I looked over at the sleeping forms of my siblings.

"So, you're still alive?" Lily asked me.

Blake and Jade had fallen asleep in their chairs. "Somehow. Where are we?" I asked.

"An inn. Gilded is pretty expensive you know. You owe me 2000 HL." Lily said.

"I'm sorry." I said softly.

"Hey, I was just kidding about the money you know?" Lily said quickly.

"No not that. We all came back to Netherworld thinking we could help but we just made it worse." I said.

"It's not your fault. That Surt is a monster. No one would have been able to take him." Lily said gently.

"He was holding back. I used everything I had and I couldn't put a scratch on the guy." I said.

"He was holding back?" Lily asked in shock.

"I'm pretty sure he knew something stronger than the level one fire spell. The fact that I'm still alive is a pretty big tip off too." I said with a smile.

"Yeah I guess so. So, what are we going to do now?" Lily asked.

"We're going to find the rest of Valiant and beat Enigma. I want a rematch." I said with a determined look on my face.

"Are you nuts? You saw what that guy was capable of and you still want to take on Enigma?" Lily shouted.

"I can't just let them keep on hurting people. I know how strong they are now so at least that's one thing." I said.

"If you go up against the again, you're just going to die." Lily said her voice wavering.

"I didn't say I was going to just fight them without getting stronger first. I have to. We all have to." I said.

Lily fell silent. "Listen Lily, you and Blake and Jade don't have to do this. I'm glad you all stuck by us but I just can't drag you into a fight that I'm not sure we can win." I said.

"You're a moron. We're not going anywhere." Lily said glaring at me with a determined look on her face.

I smiled. You three really are a part of Valiant I thought looking at Blake and Jade. "Thanks. Well, I still feel like crap so I'm going to sleep. Wake me up in the morning." I said rolling over.

_I saw it again the dark figure. Ever since I've gotten back I kept seeing it in my dreams. "You saw the power of my forces and yet you are still going to fight? Foolish boy, you will die by the hands of Enigma." It said in its cold horrible voice. I glared at it. "Giving up isn't a part of my plan. I'm going to free this world no matter what it takes!" I shouted. "Even if this happens." The monster said pointing behind me. It was Team Valiant staring at me. "Guys," I said running up to them with a big smile on my face. But I stopped in my tracks when I saw their eyes. Cold and dead. Then they began to change into horrible fanged monsters. I was frozen in terror. "Did you miss us Nick?" Yuki hissed as she reached for my neck._

I jumped up in a cold sweat and looked at Jade stared at me. "It happened again didn't it?" She asked me.

I nodded. "This time I saw Team Valiant and they morphed into these horrible creatures." I said wiping my face.

Jade looked at me. "Don't worry; I'm sure they are just fine." She said.

I nodded but I didn't want to tell her that I was still scared. What if something horrible is going to happen.

* * *

**Well, that was...new. It seems Enigma's a lot stronger that they appeared to be. Are the other twelve just as strong?** **By the way if anyone knows what other video game inspired the theme for Enigma's Twelve, you get free internet cake :3. Also if you guys like the double releases (if they aren't too much to read), then let me know. I'd love to do this again. Next mission, we find out the real reason this series has Driven in the tittle. Until next time, Later!**


	6. Mission 6 Driven

We all headed downstairs for breakfast and we attracted a couple of stares. This time not because of Lily's massive chest but because my siblings and I were so heavily bandaged.

"Are you sure guys are okay? You don't exactly look so good." Lily asked looking at us.

"We we're going to be fine. I guess maybe kinda. Anyways, moving on." I said.

"So, where do we go now? Parthian is the closest town to us. Did one of your friends live there?" Jade asked.

"Mandy. But she wasn't exactly welcome." I said.

"The townspeople kinda hated her guts." Isa said.

"Well, it'll take about a day's travel to get there. But, we're getting rather low on funds." Blake said eying Ian wolf down a stack of pancakes that was taller than he was.

"If this was before we'd just take a job but we can't exactly do that anymore." I said with a sigh.

"Enigma sucks." Isa said angrily.

"Shhh, we're trying to keep a low profile here." Lily said to Isa.

"So, why don't you all join Driven?" A demon boy asked us.

We all looked at him. "Driven?" I asked.

"You don't mean that legendary guild from 3000 years ago? The one that changed the Netherworld forever!" Blake and Lily asked in shock. Jade had a knowing smile on her face.

"Yeah, it's a been resurrected and is now a guild that is rebelling against Enigma. They're recruiting in Arcane. A bunch of us are going there. We'd be glad to have you come along." He said.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Jade asked glaring at the boy.

He gave a sheepish smile. "Well, I guess you'll just have to." He said.

"Okay," I said with a smile.

My team looked at me and sighed. "Great! We're heading out now. I'll let the rest know." The boy said as he rushed out with a bright smile.

"One day being a massive idiot is going to backfire on you." Jade, Blake and Lily all said.

"It already has multiple times." I said.

"Besides, if our friends are any where, they're going to be at this guild." My siblings nodded.

"I hate to agree with him but I think so too." Isa said.

"Yeah, definitely." Amy said. We're going to find them this time for sure I thought.

We went along with the small group of demons and we rode to Arcane (which normally would taken a few days but it took us about a day). This was the largest magically inclined city in the Netherworld. It was also Heart's hometown. Our group stopped by the local pub to get some food and info. I brought everyone their food and looked over at the leader as he asked the locals about Driven.

"Doesn't look like he's having much luck." I said.

"Not many people want to go against Enigma so it's not surprising." Jade said as she sipped her drink.

Lily sighed. "Maybe it's just a folk tale or something." She said.

"You guys are sure it's your friends?" Blake asked.

"I said it before. They would join a guild like that so if it's real they should be there." I said.

The leader of our group came over and sat down with a sigh. "Any luck sir?" Dill (The young demon boy who asked us to come along) asked.

"Not really. Nobody seems to know anything." He said.

"So, you all want to join Driven?" A boy said as he came up to us.

He looked to be about my age. He had black/blonde spikey hair and purple eyes. He had a large spear on his back and looked like he could use it. But what was most interesting was that he had a silver necklace around his neck. It was a small dragon.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

"The name's Conner and if you want to find out more about Driven, follow me." He said walking out the door.

We all followed him outside and he lead us to a large building.

"Is this the Guild H.Q?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I want to ask you all. You're not from Engima are you?" He asked.

We all shook our heads. "Alright then, come on." He said.

We entered the building but it was empty. It looked more like a warehouse than a Guild H.Q. "Is this it?" Dill asked.

"It's probably got some enchantment on it." Blake said.

"Amy," I said.

"I'm not feeling any traces of magic. Even the most powerful mages would leave some kind of residual mana." Amy said.

"Nick, danger." Ian said as he stood on guard.

If one thing, I've learned to trust Ian's insticts. All of a sudden, we were surrounded by masked people. "What's going on?" Our leader said.

"You're liers. Those people are operatives of Engima." Conner said mentioning towards the group who brought us here.

"It seems you Driven people are smarter than I thought. I wanted to take you all out at once but I guess I'll settle for a few of you." The man said as he brought out his axe.

The entire group with us all drew their weapons. "Damn it, this isn't good." I said to my team.

"Attack!" The man said as his group attack.

I felt a sharp rise in mana pressure. It was coming from Conner. He rushed straight in and he with fluid movments began attacking. That stance, those moves I know them. Conner and his crew took out the Engima soldiers in seconds.

"So, it seems like you all are left." He said.

"Wait, we aren't a part of Engima. We really want to join." Lily said.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Jade asked Conner.

She realized it too. "I have no intention to talk to the enemy." Conner said rushing at me.

With a fluid motion, I drew my sword and blocked his attack. He began swinging at me his whole body moving with his spear. I managed to block his attacks but I knew he was the real deal. If I didn't know his style, I wouldn't have been able to stop him.

"_Lightening Spear_!" He shouted throwing his spear straight at me with that sparked with lightening. I leaped into the air dodging the spear.

"_Met Sever!" _I shouted slashing at him with my go to attack.

Conner managed to dodge it as well. "That attack, you, you know the Kitamura style?" Conner asked in shock.

"You were taught by Yuki too huh?" I asked knowingly.

"How do you know my master's name?" He asked in shock.

"Because that's her first pupil. The leader of Team Valiant, the weldier of the Sword of Kings and biggest dumbass in the Netherworld. Nick Roland." I heard a familiar voice say.

A girl stepped out of the shadows with a sly grin on her face. "It's been a while Millie." I said with a grin.

"Wait, you know her?" Blake asked in shock.

Millie had changed (It's been 200 years. That's to be expected).

Her bright green cat like eye, goggles and her blonde hair are the only things that stayed the same. She was taller and her cat ear hat was changed to a simple black one. Her large cat gloves were changed to smaller open fingered ones. She was also wearing a black outfit with smaller brown parts unlike before.

"Aren't you going to comment on how hot I look?" Millie asked while posing.

"You look really pretty." I said smiling.

"Aw, you're so sweet." Millie said while pulling my cheeks.

"It's good to see you're still the same." Amy said.

"Annoying as always." Isa said with a sigh.

Millie gave them a big hug.

"I've missed you guys!" She said.

She then noticed Blake and Lily. "Who are the noobs?" She asked pointing at them.

"Those are our friends Blake and Lily. They helped us out a lot." I said.

"Jade Kitamura, the black sheep herself." Mille said.

"Amelia, I've heard many things about you. The youngest Master Thief in the history of the Netherworld. It's no wonder you're friends with these idiots." Jade said with a smile.

"You're my master's sister? It's an honor." Conner said wide eyed.

"So, can we go see the guild now?" I asked.

"You just can't wait to see Yuki again." Amy, Isa, and Millie all said knowingly.

"Of course." I said confused.

"Still a moron huh? It's nice too see you're still the same." Millie said smiling.

I grinned. "Well, onwards people." Millie said.

"Miss Amelia says that's okay, but I still don't trust you. The Nick my master talks about can't be you." Conner said glaring at me.

We all headed towards the guild. "Looks like you have a love rival." Lily said with a smirk.

I looked at her blankly. Lily sighed. "You're no fun." She said.

Millie pointed us towards a large open field. "This is it." She said trimuphantly.

"You arent' going to rob us and leave us in a ditch again are you?" I asked Millie.

"Come on, it was joke. I came back right?" She said.

"Because you forgot to take everything." Amy said.

"Trust me, this is it. Watch." Millie said pulling off her necklace.

She held it up. "Driven Dragons ROAR!" Millie shouted.

The silver dragon became huge and roared. Suddenly, a large building appeared in front of us. It had the same dragon shaped like a D symbol that was on Millie and Conner's clothes. The dragon turned back into the necklace.

"Jezebel ain't a genius witch for nothing." Millie said winking.

We entered the building and there were a lot of people running around the Guild. Some where training, some were joking but it felt upbeat and happy here.

"This is amazing." I said as we entered the main hall.

There was a large stone in the center with a sword stuck in it.

"Hey, that looks famaliar." I said rubbing my chin.

"So, it seems we meet again." I heard. I looked up at seven smiling faces.

"It's been a long time guys." I said grinning at my friends.

* * *

**Ah Millie. She's one of my favorite characters to write (besides Dan of course). You'll be seeing a lot of her and Conner through out the rest of the season. I'm also working on an one shot called The Panda Clan Dilemma which Millie will play a big part in. The next mission we'll finally see Team Valiant :D. Until next time, Later! **


	7. Semi Random Nonsense

**Dan's Love Advice**

"You two are pathetic." Dan said looking at Connor and Blake with disgust.

"What do you mean Master Dan?" Connor asked.

"You're in love with Lily." Dan said pointing at Blake who turned bright red.

"And you're in love with Yuki." Dan said pointing at Connor.

"Me? With M-Master Y-Yuki? I-I w-well.." Connor stuttered his face flushing pink.

"If either of you two want to become a part of Valiant, you gotta grow a pair. I mean look at the rest of us. I'm a ladies man who just can't keep the ladies off me." Dan said pointing at himself with a smug look on his face.

"But every time you hit on a girl they either beat you up or say they're gay." Blake pointed out.

"Pfft, it's just a game they like to play. They all eventually succumb to Dan the man." Dan said flipping his hair.

"Well, Gunny doesn't seem to be all that good with girls." Blake said.

"On the contatary, Gunny's got two honeys after him. Karla over there always plays that weird board game with him and when they play look like they're about to jump each other." Dan said.

"Weird board game? Do you mean chess?" Blake asked.

"Huh, you'd think I'd know the name of a game that involves my favorite part of a girl's anatomy. By that I mean boobs." Dan said.

Blake and Connor both sweat dropped with sighs.

"The other girl is Mandy who already locked lips with him. She may seems pretty shy but she's pretty forward actually." Dan said.

Blake and Connor looked at Mandy hiding behind a bush and watching Gunny for like ten feet away. "What abouit him? Surely an idiot like Nick is just as just with girls as we are." Connor said pointing at Nick who was in the dojo training.

"Ah Nick. You would think he would be hopeless around girls but you'd be suripised. Nick's got like freaking 20 girls after. Yuki, Millie, Jade, That Jenifer girl., Gina, Oh and Sarah and maybe even Lily." Dan said listing them off.

All three glared at Nick. "You lucky bastard." They all muttered.

**Cookies**

Yuki, Amy, Isa and Heart walked into Demon Lord Hella's office in the Driven H.Q.

"What can I do for you girls?" Hella asked.

"We haven't seen Idiirs all day long and we're getting kinda worried about him. Since he's usually with Dan, I've thought maybe you've seen them." Amy said.

"Dan took Ian with him on a job. I mean Ian is Dan's wingman after all." Hella said.

"Wingman? They can fly?" Heart asked excitedly.

"No, a thief's wingman is a demon they take with them on jobs. The wingman is usually a really strong demon but is easily manipulated by the thief." Hella explained.

"So, where did they go?" Yuki asked.

"I'm not sure. But Dan looked pretty sick. He was bright red with a weird smile on his face. He was also mumbling what sounded like the word "panties" over and over." Hella said with a thoughtful expression.

All the girls sighed. "We'll beat him up when he comes back." Isa said.

Heart then noticed a jar on Hella's desk that said "Cookies".

" Are those my mom's chocolate chip cookies?" Heart asked.

Hella smiled. "Yes. I'm sure you all know how good they are." She said.

The girls all got dreamy expressions on their faces. "Would you like some?" Hella asked.

The girls shook their heads eagerly. Hella opened the jar and they all leaned in to look. "It's empty." Hella said simply.

The group stood silently. The girls left the office looking disappointed but then notice that Millie and Nick where gleefully nibbling on what looked like cookies.

"Cookie Stealers!" They shouted angrily.

Nick tried to slush them. "I can't believe you Nick. Haven't I taught you the Kitamura way of truth and honesty?" Yuki said looking hurt.

"I'm telling Hella." Isa said.

Millie and Nick looked at each other. "What if we gave you some cookies?" They asked.

The girls sat down quickly. "I guess it's okay to slip up now and again. I forgive you." Yuki said as Nick handed her a cookie.

The group nibbled on cookies as Dan rand past (a pair of underwear on his head) being chased by angry female members of Driven.

"Cookie," The entire group sighed happily.

**The Road to Manhood**

All the male members of Driven were all gathered up Aki Kitamura and Goren for what they called lessons in manhood. They were standing next to a huge box.

"In order for all the men of Driven to become stronger, we have them undertake a test called the Road to Manhood. It's a rigorous and intense set of challenges that can't be completed by the faint of heart." Aki said.

Then he noticed Dan raising his hand. "Yes, Daniel?" He asked.

"Can we get some girls in here for this Road of Manhood thing? I work better around boobs." Dan said.

'"No," Aki said.

"Now where was I?" "Faint of heart." Goren reminded him.

"Right, so the first challenge involves you fighting…" Then Aki noticed Nick raising his hand.

"Yes, Nick. Hopefully, you have something useful to ask?"

"Do the girls have to take a Road to Womenhood thingy?" Nick asked.

"Yes, you can say something like that. Yes Dan?" Aki asked looking at Dan waving his hand eagerly.

"Can I go do that one?" Dan asked smiling.

"No," Aki said simply.

"Now, about the test you have to do…Yes, Blake?" Aki asked.

"Um, why do we need to do this again exactly?" Blake asked.

Aki sighed. "Because you'll become men. Then you'll be stronger for it." Aki explained.

Gunny raised his hand. "Actually, even though boys do become naturally stronger when they go through puberty, that doesn't actually matter to all of us who have already gone through it. Therefore, this "manhood test" can't be any more effective then regular training." Gunny explained.

Aki sighed. "You boys ain't getting it. This ain't regular training and it's more of symbolic thing really. Like a bar whatizs or like that cinsa whatyacall it." Goren said.

"So, it's a party?" The entire group asked excited.

"No, it's not a party!" Aki and Goren both shouted clearly getting annoyed.

"So, there will be no cake?" Dan asked disappointed.

"No, there will be no cake." Aki said.

"Pfft, you can't have a party without cakes and there aren't going to be any girls, so peace out." Dan said getting to his feet.

A few more guys started to leave as well.

"If you leave right now, I'll tell the girls what those Prinny dolls in their rooms are real for." Aki said calmly.

"I guess I can stick around for a little longer." Dan said sitting back down quickly along with the rest of the guys.

"Alright, let's just not explain it. Driven isn't an intellectual anyway. Goren tell them what's in the box." Aki said.

"I was lookin' all night for this here bastard. It's the meanest bear you'll ever see. You guys are gonna take turns wrestling it." Goren said.

"You have a bear? Awesome!" Nick asked in awe.

"Yup," Goren said with a self satisfied look on his face.

Gunny raised his hand. "What now?" Aki asked.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are not such things as bears in the Netherworld." Gunny said.

Aki and Goren got blank looks on their faces. The pair of them looked at the box as it began to rock back and forth.

"If that's not a bear, what is it?" Aki asked.

"I dunno. I just roped the ugliest thing I could find." Goren said.

The box began to rumbled and an earth shattering roar came from it. The box broke open and it contained an giant Executioner monster.

"How did you fit that thing in the box?" Aki asked in confusion.

"I'm pretty good with boxes." Goren said.

"So, new lesson kids, a real man knows when to tuck his balls between his legs and run away screaming like a little girl." Aki and Goren both said.

The entire group ran away screaming at the top of their lungs as the giant Executioner began chasing them.

"Hey, I guess we're following the road of manhood literally now." Nick said grinning as he ducked under a massive swing.

* * *

**So this is just something I just threw together as the name implies. If you guys want to see more things like this let me know and I'll upload them to the Disagea: Fates Adventures since they're basically mini stories. The real mission update is coming out this on Saturday as usual. Until next time, Later! **


	8. Mission 7 Reunited

My siblings and I hugged our friends and we all began chattering at the same time.

"I can't believe it. We saw the house burnt down. I'm so glad you guys aren't dead!" I hugging Yuki again.

"I'm glad we aren't dead either." Yuki said with an amused look on her face.

"Hugs for everyone!" Heart said cheerfully somehow managing to hug all of us at once.

"Can't breathe." We all gasped.

"I even missed Heart's crush hugs." I said with a smile.

"Hey dood, don't all the girls look super hot now?" Dan asked mentioning towards them.

"But they were always pretty." I said confused.

"You haven't changed. I'm glad. Valiant wouldn't be the same without it's stupid leader." Gunny said with a smile.

"I missed you too buddy." I said fist bumping him.

"Dan," Ian said his eyes watering.

"Little buddy," Dan said with his eyes watering.

Ian leaped on him. "You've gotten bigger little dood" Dan said as Ian sat on his chest.

Ian smiled sheepishly. "Mandy, now that I'm back no one can mess with you anymore." Isa said with self satisfied grin on her face.

"I'm glad. It wasn't fun without you beating up random guys." Mandy said hugging her.

"So, you're a galaxy mage now?" Amy asked.

Emily nodded. "I can now kick your magical butt human girl." Emily said with a smirk.

"Galaxy mage or not. I'm Valiant's go to mage. You're just my sidekick demon girl." Amy said grinning.

"That's because the leader's your idiot brother." Emily said.

"True, but now that we're back, we can make up even more awesome ninja moves." Amy said bringing out her list with fire in her eyes. Emily shook her head smiling.

"You guys look different. Like you guys look cool. Even Dan." Isa said looking at our friends closely.

They looked the same but it was clear they had grown up like us.

Emily had a bright streak of pink in her blonde hair and gotten rid of the maid looking dress.

Gunny had gotten a normal backpack, was wearing a gunner's hat, and his spiky brown hair was even spikier.

Dan's blonde hair was longer and his bandana was around his neck instead of his head.

Mandy's curly blonde hair was much shorter.

Heart's blonde hair was even longer and so was Yuki's black hair.

But they all had similar black outfits that were like Millie's but had small dashes of their own original colors.

"You guys look different too." Gunny said.

"I guess everyone changed a bit. So, you guys are a part of Driven huh?" I asked.

"We sort of reestablished it." Emily said.

"What? You're the guild leaders?" We all said in awe.

They nodded. "They're more than that. These guys train the other fighters." Millie said.

"I taught Millie a thing or two." Dan said with a wink.

He then noticed Lily. "I could teach you something too." He said as he grabbed Lily's hand with a sly smile.

"I'm gay." She said quickly.

"Then would you let me watch?" He asked with a grin.

Emily, Isa and Amy promptly smacked him. "Ah, just like old times." The three of them said with a happy sigh.

"I'm assuming these demons helped you along the way?" Gunny asked. I nodded.

"They're our new friends." I said.

"Well, then any friend of yours is a friends of ours." Yuki said bowing to Blake and Lily.

They both looked sheepish and bowed back.

"It's nice to see you too Jade." Yuki said with a smile.

"I'm glad you're okay." Jade said smiling.

"Conner, these are the humans I've been telling you about. He's the true leader of Valiant." Yuki said looking at me.

"But, they have no mana pressure." Conner said confused.

Dan smirked. "Nick, do that thing you do." He said.

"Oh, you mean this. Class Change! Buster Blader!" I said letting my mana skyrocket.

"It looks like you haven't been slacking off in the human world. Your mana has increased a bit." Yuki said.

"Well, you did hit me with a stick every time I didn't train." I said.

"But we can catch up later. I want you guys to tell me everything about Enigma. Especially about the Twelve." I said seriously.

"Come with us." They said.

We were in a large room that had lots of comfy chairs. "You have to be comfortable when you're planning a rebellion." Gunny said as he sat back in the chair.

"Where did Enigma even come from?" I asked.

"Well, when you guys went to fight Overload Roan and we fought against the former demon lords, we noticed that there were these strange symbols on them. They were the Enigma sign." Emily said.

"Enigma had used their powers to alter their mana and turned the Demon Lords into Epitaphs." Gunny said.

"But that Surt guy said that wasn't possible." Blake said.

"He was right. Because the only person who can do that is a Soul Weaver. Essentially a more powerful Epitaph. And the only one of their knowledge, is one of the Twelve." Yuki said.

"But, they don't know that we happen to have a Soul Weaver." Gunny said.

Everyone looked at me. "Huh? Do I have a booger or something?" I asked.

"What you did to us Nick. You changed the entire Team's mana when we went to fight Roan." Yuki said.

"So, you guys aren't affected by the seal?" I asked them.

"Luckily for us, we're the same as you all." Emily said.

"If you can learn to master that power, you can alter the mana of the entire guild. Enigma's greatest trump card will vanish." Gunny said.

Wow, I never realized I could do that. I looked at the Remnant. You're just a bundle of power aren't you? I thought.

"But, what about Enigma's Twelve? What do you all know about them?" Jade asked.

"Not much. We only have some information on 4 of them and even that is pretty limited." Gunny said.

"Number 1, Surt. He has incredible fire power that seems could rival even your powers Nick." Yuki said.

"I'm not even in the same league as him. He kicked our butts without breaking a sweat." I said bitterly.

"You fought against one of the Twelve? Are you mad?" Connor shouted.

Team Valiant exchanged knowing looks. "We didn't really have a choice." Amy said.

"Come on, keep going. What about the rest?" Blake asked.

"Number 7, Thor. He has great skill in using a special hammer type weapon and seems to use thunder based attacks." Gunny said.

"I think you skipped a few numbers Gunny." Ian said.

"I'm basing the numbers not on order but on the number written on their uniforms." He said.

I did notice a number 1 on Surt. "Number 16, Shiva. She uses a spear and that's all I got." Dan said.

"You were busy staring at her chest weren't you?" We all asked.

Dan grinned sheepishly. "She was kinda hot. Evil but hot." He said.

"Number 9, Arabaki. Besides the funny name, he's a pretty powerful mage capable of high tier spells in all the elements." Emily said.

"Number 10, Norn. She's a powerful archer who's speed and accuracy is unreal." Millie said.

"They don't sound all that tough." Isa said.

"Believe me, Enigma is no laughing matter. They are the real deal. The perfect balance between raw power and unrivalled skill." Conner said.

"It's true that Enigma is the most powerful group in the Netherworld. But, Team Valiant is back together. I'm sure we'll find a way. We always do." I said grinning.

Connor looked at me blankly. "So, I'm asking you guys to let us join Driven." I said looking at Team Valiant.

Before anyone could open their mouth, Connor slammed his hand down on the desk.

"Masters, you can't just let them join without letting them take the test everyone else had to take in order to join." He said glaring at me.

"What the hell is your problem dude?" Lily asked annoyed.

"I am so gonna kick your ass." Isa said rolling up her sleeves.

But Yuki put her hand on Isa's shoulder.

"I'll do it later." Isa hissed glaring at him.

"We aren't going to go easy on them just because they happen to be our friends. We must be objective when choosing fighters. We want only the best." Yuki said calmly.

"Wait, we aren't?" Dan asked.

Emily smacked him quiet. "Of course, we'll take any test that we have to." I said.

"We?" Blake and Lily asked in confusion.

I looked at them. "Don't you guys want to be apart of Valiant?" I asked with a grin.

"Well, then I guess this test isn't just for the guild is it?" Gunny asked.

"Nope," I said.

"Don't go easy on us. We may have been gone for two years but I should be able to pass any test that joker managed to." Isa said mentioning towards Connor.

He glared at her. "Well, to the courtyard then." Yuki said leading us out.

A large crowd had gathered around us. "So, these humans wish to take the entrance test to join?" A large demon asked.

"Yes, don't go easy on them. If you do, you might die." Gunny said with a smile.

"The test has three parts. First, the mana pressure test. Show us your highest mana point." He said.

I looked at the Remnant and then at Blake, Lily and Jade. I can alter the mana of anyone I choose right? I just have to focus. I raised the Remnant high in the air.

"Alright then let's go!" I shouted as the entire team's mana flowed in unison and strengthened each other.

Team Valiant smiled. That strong and warm mana pressure is just as incredible as always they thought. The large demon looked at us in shock.

"So, what's next?" I asked.

He cleared his throat. "Second, you have to show us your best skill. Those test dummies are made of the strongest material in the Netherworld. If you manage to put a scratch on it, you pass." He said.

We all nodded. We all lined up in front up of the dummies. "_Giga Break!" _Lily shouted with her attack. It did manage a large scratch.

"_Violent Storm!" _Blake shouted with his attack. He managed a good notch as well.

"_Wind Cutter!" _Jade shouted with her attack. She managed to actually take off a chip.

My siblings all class changed. "_Mach Kick!" _Ian shouted kicking it and sending it flying into a wall where it broke on impact.

"_Vampiric Edge!" _Isa shouted slashing it clean in half.

"_Ice Beam!" _Amy shouted freezing it's body solid. She brought her hand into a fist and it exploded clean into pieces.

"My best move huh? Hmm." I said thought aloud while rubbing my chin. "I know!" I said slamming my fist onto my palm.

I raised the Remnant. "Remnant, FULL MANA TRANSFER!" I shouted as not only as Team Advent's but also Team Valiant's mana flowed into me.

"Class Change, Blaze Blader." I said as I exploded into my fiery form.

With that mana pressure, he lost? Team Valiant thought in awe. It seems even stronger than it was against that Surt guy Lily, Blake and Jade thought. The entire guild looked at me in shock. I leaped into the air.

"_DESTINY DRAGON!" _I shouted launching the massive attack at the dummy.

It exploded and the dummy was nowhere to be seen. We all looked into the air.

"Huh, I launched it like a rocket. Does that count?" I asked.

The large demon simply nodded. "He really overdoes it sometimes." Yuki said with a smile.

"So, that's what he used to beat the overlord huh?" Emily asked.

"Hey, Yuki, does Nick look "hot"?" Dan said snickering.

"Well, he is on fire, so I imagine he is." Yuki said not getting the joke.

Dan sighed. "This is what I have to live with." He said to no one in particular.

"So, what's the last part of the test?" I asked.

"It's the battle test. It was a sparring match against one of our fighters." The test demon said.

"Was?" I asked confused.

"I don't think anyone wants to fight us after that." Lily said.

"Alright then. Hey, do you guys want to fight us?" I asked Team Valiant.

"Nick, are you nuts? Aren't they your friends?" Blake asked in shock.

"Exactly, let's just say I want to see how good you guys have gotten. I'm sure Isa and Ian are all for it." I said looking at their excited faces.

"I can finally beat up Dan without holding back." Isa said giddy with excitement. Dan looked terrified.

"Well, if that's what you wish, then we'll comply." Gunny said.

"But I have one condition. Just to make sure you'll go all out. If you can't beat us, you will leave here forever and never come back." Yuki said.

"Yuki, isn't that a little mean?" Heart asked.

"To make it even more fair, only four of us will fight." Gunny said.

"Well, then only four of us will fight too. To make it fair." I said grinning with my siblings behind me.

"Gunny, I want to do this. I've always wanted to wipe that smug grin off Amy." Emily said smirking.

"Let's see you try demon girl." Amy said with a smirk.

"Dan, you're doing this too right?" Yuki asked.

"Duh, I can show off my awesomeness." Dan said grinning.

"Wait, they aren't going to actually fight are they?" Lily asked.

Then the entire guild felt it. The mana pressure of the ones who defeated the demon lords and the overlord.

"They're serious." Jade said.

"We might want to like run far away. When these guys get going, shit blows up." Millie said pushing Lily and Blake.

"Well, we managed to scare off everyone." I said as we all stood in the courtyard.

"Well, shall we begin?" Yuki asked.

"Wait, can I have a sword? Mine melted." I said sheepishly. Everyone sweat dropped.

* * *

**Team Valiant is back together! And the first thing they do is fight each other...Go team? I missed them alot and it's gonna be fun to be able to write Dan again :3. Anyways, I have the next chapter all typed up and ready to go but I'****m debating whether to make you all wait for the dramatic effect or just release it. Let me know whether or not you guys can wait! From here on out, things really start to pick up and the chapters are probably gonna get longer too. So, until next time. Later!**


	9. Mission 8 Team Valiant Vs Team Valiant!

The shock wave could be felt all across the Netherworld. When the two sides clashed for the first time.

"_Rapid-fire!" _Gunny shouted blasting at us all.

We all scattered and leaped up at each other. "_Ice Beam!" "Omega Fire!" _Amy and Emily shouted blasting at each other while we were still airborne.

"_Blade Rush!" _Isa shouted trying to go through Dan.

He sidestepped it. "_Backstab!" _Dan said but Isa managed to block it by reaching behind her head with her sword.

"_Tiger Charge!" _Ian said going straight at Gunny.

Gunny twisted himself in the air so he was above Ian. He pointed his gun downward. "_Proximity Shot!" _He shouted letting off the massive blast.

"_Met Sever!" _I shouted launching the slash at the blast which canceled it out causing a huge explosion.

We all landed on the ground and rushed at each other. Amy and Emily threw magical blast after magical blast at each other but they kept canceling each other out. "_Omega Ice!" _Amy shouted pointing her gun at the ground.

The entire area was frozen and large icicles came up to impale Emily. She leaped from icicle to icicle. "_Omega Fire!" _She shouted aiming for Amy at the ground. Amy barely managed to jump up in time. The massive fire blast melted all the ice away.

Ian threw punch after kick at Gunny who was dodging them all effortlessly. "_Mach Kick!" _Ian said aiming for his head with the crimson kick.

Gunny flipped backwards dodging the kick. "_Tri Shot!" _He shouted firing three times at Ian while still in the air.

Ian punched the blasts away and ran forward. He stopped, pushed his fist into his palm and pulled back. "_Big Bang!" _He shouted blasting a huge energy beam from his palm. Gunny leaped out of the way and the blast formed a huge hole in the ground.

"_Blade Edge!" _Dan shouted slashing at Isa with his dagger. She blocked it with her sword and pushed him back. "_Wind Cutter!" _Isa shouted throwing a wind based slash at Dan.

He leap frogged over the attack, rolled to a crouching position and pulled out his pistol. "_Tri Star!" _Dan shouted as three different colored triangles came over his gun and fired a multicolored blast at Isa.

"_Vampiric Edge!" _Isa shouted using her attack to slash straight through the blast which exploded behind her.

Yuki and I were busy trying to find an opening on each other. We kept attacking and blocking without losing momentum.

"_Met Sever!" _I shouted attacking.

Yuki flicked the attack upwards where it exploded harmlessly. She came straight at me.

"You're open. _Fury Strike!" _Yuki said hitting me straight on.

I went flying backwards and crashed inside the guild building. I managed to get to my feet and when running straight at Yuki. She slashed at me but I ducked underneath. I tried to slash but Yuki sidestepped.

"_Met Sever!" _She shouted using my own attack against me.

I held my blade sideways and narrowly managed to block it. I spun on my heel and brought my sword up.

"_Flaming Crescent!" _I shouted launching the flaming slash at Yuki.

She held out her sword to block but it sent her skidding backwards. She looked up and I was already in the air with a glowing sword.

"_Winged Slayer!" _I shouted launching the massive attack.

Yuki dashed forwards dodging it and leaped up to me. "_Dimensional Slash!" _Yuki shouted hitting me dead on.

I tried to block it with my sword but to no avail. I went straight back my sword flying out of my hands. "You've gotten slower Nick." She said.

"Maybe you just got faster." I said standing near the sword in the stone.

"Now, are you going give in?" She asked.

"You should know me better by now." I said pulling the sword out of the stone.

I felt the familiar weight and surge of power. I grinned.

"Excalibur, it's good to have you back." I said holding the stone sword.

I let my mana flow back into it and the stone shattered revealing a brilliant gold/red blade.

"The Sword of Kings. He really can use it." Lily and Blake said in awe.

"I think we've proven our point." Gunny said as everyone else came inside.

"Looks like you didn't get to beat me up Isa." Dan said smirking.

"I'll just stab you in your sleep." Isa said with a shrug.

Dan opened his mouth in shock. "Don't worry, I'll get Heart to heal you. Maybe." She said.

The entire guild was looking at me in awe. "All I did was pull a sword." I said feeling self conscious.

"I think it's safe to say you passed." Yuki said sheathing her Katsuki.

"Really? Sweet!" We all shouted.

"So, can I have one of those dragon necklace thingies? They're really cool." I said.

"I think we need to discuss something first." I heard someone say.

I looked behind me and saw the demon lords. Aki Kitamura, the demon lord of Terel and Yuki's dad. Ellen Hella, the demon lord of Alwen and the original master thief. Jezebel Airheart, the demon lord of Arcane and Heart's mom. Behind them was the former Overlord Roan as well.

"Wow, you guys are here too?" I asked looking at them.

Mayor Archest and Demon Lord Getty as well.

"You all should come with us. There are many things we need to talk about." Jezebel said. I nodded and we all followed them.

We went back into the little meeting room.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"Enigma, that's what's up." Hella said.

"You fought against Surt. That's the power of Enigma's Twelve and the way you all are now, you stand no chance." Kitamura said.

"I know so I want us to train here to get stronger." I said.

"I'm glad you know your limit. But, only you are going to stay here and train." Roan said.

"What? But we want to learn how to kick ass too!" Isa shouted.

"You will. Just not here. Isa, Amy and Ian have to go off and find a Legacy of their own." Jezebel said. Then she noticed our blank faces.

"You don't know what that is do you?" She asked.

The four of us shook our heads. "A Legacy is an incredibly powerful weapon super charged with mana." Hella said.

"Like my Katsuki and your Excalibur." Yuki said to me.

I looked my blade. "So, you want them to get a weapon like ours? That would be amazing!" I said in awe.

"It's not going to be easy. Legacies are always incredibly hard to find or already in the hands of another demon. But, we know about three Legacies that haven't been found. They are protected by powerful guardians who won't just give the weapon to anyone." Kitamura said.

"Of course we're gonna do it. If I can get an awesome sword, I could kick even more ass." Isa said her eyes shining imagining all the pain she could cause.

"I could become even more like a ninja right? That would be cool." Amy said dreamily.

"I just wanna punch bad guys." Ian said with a shrug.

"I'm guessing they all want to do it then." Gunny said with a grin.

I rubbed my chin. "Okay, so, we have to split up right? Then, I want you three to go with Amy." I said pointing at Mandy, Heart and Emily.

"You three go with Ian." I said pointing at Gunny, Lily and Dan.

"And you three go with Isa." I said pointing at Yuki, Jade and Blake.

Everyone looked at me confused. "That's not exactly really strategic. I mean all the fighters are on one team, all the mages on another and all the gunners on another." Connor said.

"This isn't for fighting purposes. I want everyone to get the best possible fit for training." I said.

"Well, I guess this is fine then." Gunny said.

"I got a hottie here, so I'm good." Dan said putting his arm around Lily.

"Still gay." She said shrugging off his arm.

Blake stared daggers at Dan who didn't seem to notice. "Here are the maps to the general location but you're still going to have to find your own way." Kitamura said.

The three groups waved goodbye and headed out for their missions.

"As for you, we're going to make you into the warrior you're mention to be. You have a title to live up to." Roan said looking at the Remnant.

"Cassidy right? Who was he anyways?" I asked.

"He was the first human in the Netherworld. He was the original wielder of the sword and necklace that you carry. But more so, he was the founder of the Driven along with the four of us." Kitamura said.

"REALLY? THAT"S SO AWESOME! So, did you guys go on really cool adventures?" I asked excited.

"Yes, we did but that's not the point. The four of us are going to carry out your training." Jezebel said.

"Movement, Swordplay, Mana Level and overall polish. We're going to bring out the best in you. It's not going to be easy." Roan said.

"Bring it on! I'll give it my all." I said eagerly.

"I'm glad you're motivated." Hella said.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you. Why are you holding a string behind your back that's tied to a bucket of water above my head?" I asked pointing out the bucket.

"Um er, good job! You passed my first test." Hella said quickly.

"He wasn't supposed to find that out was he?" Kitamura asked knowingly.

"Not really." Hella said.

"Oh hey, it's Millie! Hi, MillieeeEEYAA!" I said turning around and falling into a trap hole.

"Ha, you fell for my trap! The bucket was to distract you from the trap hole." Hella said smugly. "Are you okay?" Jezebel shouted down the hole.

"Yeah, a bunch of Prinnies broke my fall." I shouted from the hole.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. "Prinnies? Really?" Roan asked sarcastically.

"I thought it would be funny." Hella said trying hard to hold back laughter and failing.

"You better hope he isn't dead." Kitamura muttered.

I came running back up my body covered in black soot, my hair smoking and holes in my clothes.

"That. Was...AWESOME! I'm going again!" I said running towards the hole.

"Wheeee!" I said as I jumped in.

"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the leader of Team Valiant." Millie said dryly.

**End of Vol 1**

* * *

**I swear Nick isn't completely stupid. He just...chooses when to be smart which isn't very often. Anyways, things are picking up now. What are these Legacies gonna be like? I wonder who the guardians are too. Just a single update next week sadly but I may be able finish up the next Semi Random Nonsense mini story. So until next time. Later!**


	10. Mission 9 The Search Is On Kinda

**_Vol 2: The Three Legacies _**

Team Ian: (Ian, Gunny, Lily and Dan)

"Um, I think we may be lost." Gunny said looking around.

The group was in a massive forest that was so huge all they could see was trees in every direction. "So the great prodigy of Valiant is actually capable of screwing up. That's a shocker." Dan said sarcastically.

"Actually, you're the one holding the map." Gunny said pointed out.

Dan was holding the map upside down. "Oh, yeah. By the way, we're lost." Dan said sheepishly.

"I thought you Valiant people were supposed to be amazing." Lily muttered under her breath.

"I got distracted." Dan said.

"By what?" Gunny and Lily asked.

"He stole Lily's underwear last night. He told me not to tell." Ian said dead pan.

Lily glared at him. Dan sighed and handed the underwear back. Lily snatched it away and hastily stuffed it into her pocket.

"I'll just steal it back later." Dan muttered to himself.

"So, now what do we do wonder boy?" Dan asked Gunny.

"I'll go scout out the area. I'll try and figure out where we are." Gunny said putting on his goggles and taking the map.

He ran off and vanished into the distance. "I still can't figure out why you're part of Valiant. Everyone else is so amazing but you. You're a thief." Lily said simply.

"I'll have you know that I invented my own style of fighting that I teach to thieves at Driven. It's awesome and the girls love it." Dan said with a huff.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Lily said rolling her eyes.

Ian had already tuned out the group and was busy playing with rocks.

"Little dude, you haven't changed one bit." Dan said with a smile.

Lily looked at him. "You really like Ian huh?" She asked.

"He's my partner. He's the muscle and I'm the brains. Plus, I like poking his puffy cheeks." Dan said seriously.

"He certainly is strong for his age. But when you consider who his family is, it's not all that surprising." Lily said smiling.

Dan nodded. "We're going to need all four of them on their A game to take on Enigma. I've seen what the Twelve can do, it's not pretty." Dan said looking at her intently.

Gunny came running back. "I've got good news and bad news." He said.

"I want good news first." Lily said.

"I think I've figured out where the Legacy is." He said.

"That's awesome dude! You really are a genius!" Dan said clapping him on the back.

"So, uh, what's the bad news?"

A large group of female cat ladies came out of the forest looking very annoyed. The group stood silently as the took in the sight of dozens of Kit Cats slowly closing in on them.

"You brought over big boobed babes too. Man, this is even more awesome than I imagined!" Dan said grinning.

Then he noticed one of the cat ladies didn't have a tail. It dawned on him.

"We're in Blair's Forest aren't we?" Dan asked just realizing it.

Gunny nodded. "And that's the cat lady that wouldn't go out with me and she's also the cat lady who's tail I cut off." Dan said slowly.

Gunny nodded again. "Huh," Dan said simply.

"RUN FOR YOUR WORTHLESS LIVES!" Dan screamed while running and picking up Ian (who was still busy playing with rocks). Gunny and Lily looked at each other and then ran after them with the cat ladies hot on their trails.

Team Isa: (Isa, Yuki, Blake and Jade)

"We're making good progress. We're nearly there." Yuki said leading the group.

"I think we'd make better time if our human friend tried harder." Jade said pointing back.

Blake was struggling to move forward with Isa on his shoulders.

"Tell me again. Why am I carrying you?" Blake panted.

"Because you're the newbie and I'm tired." Isa said simply.

"YAH MULE!" Isa shouted hitting Blake on his butt with the flat of her sword.

"YEYOUCH!" Blake shouted and began dashing forwards.

"She's just messing with him isn't she?" Jade asked knowingly.

Yuki nodded. "Poor Blake, he's too nice for his own good." Jade said.

"She also got Nick to give her piggy back rides too. But unlike Blake, Nick's kinda stupid. If they both got tired, Ian carried the pair of them." Yuki said.

Blake had collapsed and Isa was jumping on his back trying to get him to get up.

"Come on Isa, you've had your fun. Let the poor guy up." Yuki said.

Isa sighed but got off of Blake. "Fine, but I'm bored. When can we start blowing shit up?" Isa whined.

"I told you. When we get to where the Legacy is." Yuki said patiently.

Jade knelt down and poked Blake with a stick she found. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I can't feel my legs." Blake mumbled weakly.

"Okay, Yuki, can we ditch him?" Isa asked brightly.

"No, there's a small village up ahead. We're going to go rest there. We'll get a little behind schedule but it's fine." Yuki said pointed to the small town a little further away.

"Get up. You're a big strong warrior right? You'll be fine." Isa said to Blake while kicking him.

"But, I think I broke something." Blake muttered. Jade winked at the group.

"Okay, but I'm sure Lily will be really disappointed. I mean she always goes on about how strong and sturdy you are." Jade said airily.

Blake instantly jumped to his feet and puffed out his chest. "Just follow me!" Blake said in a deep voice while running forwards.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Boys," She said simply.

The group arrived in the town and they instantly recognized Yuki. "You're the leader of the Driven." They said in awe.

"You're like the most amazing swordswoman in the Netherworld." Another said.

"I'm not that great. I'm lucky to have such incredible guild mates." Yuki said turning pink with embarrassment.

"But, Yuki you're so awesome. You once beat like 80 dudes with one sweep." Isa gushed.

"Really?" The townspeople said in awe. Yuki flushed even more.

"I saw how she fought Nick the other day. She completely dominated him." Blake said.

"Well, that's to be expected. She did teach him everything he knows." Jade said.

"So, why isn't she the leader of Valiant if she's stronger?" Blake asked.

"She's the more skilled then he is but he's a better fighter." Jade said.

Blake stared at her blankly. Jade smiled. "Let's just say that they compliment each other nicely in battle." She said.

"Hey, let's go to the inn already. You guys can make out some other time." Isa said dragging off Yuki who was still looking embarrassed by the attention.

Team Amy: (Amy, Emily, Heart and Mandy)

"Why did we hand Heart the map?" Emily asked Amy.

"She give me the puppy dog eyes. I'm sorry. I can't resist cute things." Amy said hanging her head in shame.

Emily sighed. Their group was moving along at a pretty good pace but then Amy gave Heart the map. Heart then sorta just wandered where ever she found something she liked. Heart was trotting along merrily when she noticed something that made her squeal happily.

"What is it Heart?" Amy asked.

"Lookie, it's a baby dragon." Heart said holding it towards them with a huge grin.

It was a small dragon with large green eyes. It was nuzzling Heart.

"See, it likes me. Here Amy, come pet him." Heart said while the dragon was making soft cooing sounds.

Amy looked hesitant but then the dragon looked at her.

"Can't…resist…the Cute!" Amy said running over.

"Go ahead, pet him." Heart said with a smile.

"It's so warm." Amy said patting it on it's head.

"Guys, I really don't think this is a good idea." Emily said.

Mandy had gone over and was tickling the dragon under the chin.

"Why? It's really friendly." Mandy said.

"Yes, it's really cute but when there's a baby dragon…" Emily started.

Suddenly, a large dragon landed behind the girls with a large thud. It roared and opened it's wings causing a large gust of wind that nearly blew them over.

"Oh look it's a mommy dragon. Is that your mommy little guy?" Heart asked the baby dragon.

The dragon was reaching out towards it's mother. The mother dragon glared at the girls and pulled it's head back.

"Run. NOW!" Emily said dashing with the rest of them on her heels.

The dragon blew a stream of fire straight towards them.

"SHIELD!" Heart said casting the spell behind them. It stopped the fire but it caused a massive explosion that made them all lose their balance. Heart gracefully flipped and landed on her feet while still holding the baby. The rest landed on their faces. The dragon roared at them.

"I know, I'll talk to it." Heart said cheerfully.

"Are you nuts? That thing will swallow you whole." Amy said in shock.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Heart said walking towards the massive dragon with a grin.

Team Nick: (Nick, Millie, Connor)

There were so many people at Driven. The Lunar Wolves Guild from Terel was here and some of the members of Descent where here too. But I was mostly glad I had Millie, Bruce, Karla and Song (They're from Team 3 who were Valiant's closest friends) around. It was also nice to see Gina here and not as nice to see Draco (Both of them were from Team Draco who were Team Valiant's rivals).

"This guild is amazing. It full of so many powerful people. It's kinda intimidating." I said to Millie was giving me the tour.

"Look who's talking. You blew up half of our courtyard on your first day and were able to hold your own against the guild masters." Millie said smiling.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I said sheepishly.

"So, how's the training going?" Millie asked me.

"Okay I guess. Those four aren't cutting me any slack." I said thinking about the jogs around a volcano in the morning, arm wrestling scary monsters, dodging boulders over a spiked pit and getting my butt repeatedly beat up by Aki and Roan in practice matches. We headed back to the dojo but stopped at the entrance.

"I've seen some of your training. It didn't look pretty." Millie said.

I shrugged. "Maybe, but I can't give up. I have to get strong if I want to protect everyone." I said with determined look on my face.

Millie sighed but smiled to herself. It's not just a coincidence people are drawn to him she thought.

"Also, it's super fun!" I said with a grin.

Millie sweat dropped. Only Nick can go from cool to stupid in 3 seconds she thought.

Aki, Hella, Jezebel and Roan where all waiting for me in the dojo with their arms crossed looking very annoyed.

"You want me to help you escape?" Millie whispered.

"It's okay. I'll see you later. I hope." I said waving as I went inside.

"Where have you been? We're wasting time. You have an Empire to defeat." Aki said.

"Sorry, Millie was showing me around the guild. It's really awesome." I said.

"You can sight see later. We have to get you stronger as fast as we can." Hella said.

I nodded. "Now, let's see if you can maintain Blaze Blader this time." Roan said nodding at me.

I nodded and closed my eyes. I focused on my own mana and the mana from the Netherworld.

"MANA BREAK!" I said holding out the Remnant as mana rushed into my body.

"Class Change! Blaze Blader!" I shouted as I exploded into my fiery form.

I looked at the four of them with my blazing orange eyes. I feel so strong. This Blaze Blader is stronger than it's ever been I thought. Suddenly, my body began to spark with red sparks. I screamed with pain and I collapsed returning to normal. I was panting. If I could just maintain it. I could take him on I thought.

"It looks like your body still can't handle all that power." Roan said.

"Yeah," I said simply.

"Hey, don't get discouraged. It would be impossible for you to get that strong in just two days." Hella said.

"I know but I can't let my Team down. I have to get stronger for all of them." I said pushing myself to my feet.

"Good, that's the attitude. Hella, it's your turn with him." Aki said.

"Alright, we're going back to the volcano. This time Jezebel is going to set it off so you have to dodge the raining lava too." Hella said grabbing me with a glint in her eyes.

"AWESOME!" I shouted in excitement.

We headed out to the Volcano with Jezebel on our heels.

"He's making amazing progress. The fact he can actually go into on his own Blaze Blader in this short amount of time is insane." Roan said.

Aki smiled. "My daughter has quite the disciple." He said.

"Well, he is the successor to the greatest weapon in the Netherworld. The Infinity Edge." Roan said.

"Yes, but let's not worry about that now. Him along with his Team will learn their true purpose soon enough." Aki said.

* * *

**I swear this is actually a part of the story and not another Semi Random Nonsense. Things are going to be like this for another chapter or two so I hope you guys like this format. Let me know if it's too much or confusing or whatever. Speaking of Semi Random Nonsense, the second one is going to be coming out tomorrow! However, for this one (and all the ones to follow), it's going to be released in my Disgaea Fates Adventures story (which is just a bunch of one shots so it'll fit there). So be sure to check it out! Anyways, that's all I've got to say this time. Until next time, Later!**


	11. Mission 10

**Mission 10: Hot Cats, Old Dogs and Evil Penguins **

* * *

The group was running furiously trying to out run the Kit Cats who were leaping from tree to tree growling and meowing.

"I'm so scared and so turned on at the same time." Dan cried out narrowly dodging a swipe from one of the cat ladies.

The group reached the side of a mountain in a small clearing.

"Damn it, we're trapped!" Lily said.

Gunny pulled out his gun. "I can blow through this. Just give me some cover." Gunny said pointing at the rock while putting on his goggles.

Dan and Lily nodded. They leaped forwards while Ian stayed near Gunny to back him up.

"_Gaia Break!" _Lily shouted pointed her gun downwards and pulling the trigger. It caused the earth to shift and large jagged rocks came out towards the cat ladies.

They jumped from rock to rock but Dan was on them. "_Tri Star!" _Dan shouted launching the powerful blast. It hit the jagged rocks, along with a few kitties, blowing them to hell.

But more of them were still rushing forwards. Dan and Lily were stuck on defense. The only person who was managing was Ian. He ducked and countered the Kit Cats attacks without even trying.

"_Big Bang!" _He shouted blasting a bunch that were getting close.

Gunny's gun was still charging. A few got closer but Ian was on them. "_Rising Dragon!" _Ian shouted attacking with the fiery uppercut and hitting a couple back.

The group was panting. Damn it, I'm only 50% charged here Gunny thought. But then he noticed that his team was slowly but surely getting over whelmed by sheer numbers. Their mana isn't going to hold up for much longer he thought. Gunny turned away from the mountain and towards the cat ladies.

"Stand back guys!" Gunny shouted aiming at the enemy.

He pointed his glowing blue gun at the Kit Cats. "_Exceed Cannon!" _Gunny shouted letting go a massive blue blast that put his Pulse Cannon and Proximity Shot skills to shame.

It went towards the Kit Cat but then suddenly veered upwards. "You missed?" Dan asked in shock.

"That's impossible. I don't miss." Gunny said pulling off his goggles.

"That was pretty impressive kid. I actually had to use some effort." Someone said while rubbing their shoulder.

It was a Kit Cat but unlike the others she had a different aura. Her hair was thick and red as blood. Her eyes were cat like and bright yellow. She wore the loose fitting clothing and the soft shoes that the Kit Cats commonly wore so that could move easily. Thought it was a bit…. tight around her chest area to say the least. Her mana pressure could rival that of the Demon Lords maybe even stronger Gunny, Lily and Dan thought.

"You must be the Guardian of the Legacy." Gunny said.

The woman grinned slyly. "Righto. The name's Katie and I'm the Guardian of the Ultimus. The most powerful glove and shoe pair in the Netherworld." She said proudly.

Then she looked at the group and then noticed the dragon necklaces they wore. "You're from that Driven guild ain't ya?" She asked.

"Yes, we're here to get the Legacy so that we can defeat Enigma." Gunny said.

"Hmm, but you two use a gun and that one uses a dagger. So, the little guy must be the one after it right?" She asked while kneeling down to look at Ian.

"Hey, he may be small but he's the best martial artist I know. He can kick all your butts with his feet tied behind his back." Dan said with a glimmer of pride.

"You do realize that he can't kick without feet right?" Gunny asked Dan.

"Of course I knew that. But Ian is just that damn good. He's like Chuck Norris only ,you know, a kid." Dan replied.

"Is that so? Well, do ya think ya can handle my test kid?" She asked Ian while looking him straight in the eye.

He nodded. "Are you my new kitty?" He asked in awe. Katie chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Naw little guy, I'm here to teach ya how to use the Ultimus. It's gonna be tough. Are you sure ya wanna go through with it?" She asked.

He nodded and ruffled her hair. "I think they're getting along rather well." Gunny said watching Ian pet Katie who had begun purring.

"All you have to do is pet them? Gee, what scary monsters." Lily said sarcastically.

"I would have never thought of that. That's my boy." Dan said wiping away an imaginary tear

Team Isa: (Isa, Yuki, Jade and Blake)

"Are you sure you guys want to go in here? It seems kinda, I don't know, _evil_." Blake said eying the dark tower that had lightening crashing around it mid day with no clouds in sight (That's still not possible by the way - Gunny).

"You are such a fraidy cat Blake. It's perfectly fine. It's not like an evil monster would be guarding it or something. Thought that would cool to fight." Isa said rubbing her chin in thought.

"This seems to be the place at any rate. The mana it's emitting isn't normal. We have to check it out." Yuki said.

The group stepped up to the large wooden door.

"So do we like knock or what? I would prefer to break it down but I'm open to suggestions." Isa said.

Her group opened their mouths. "Too slow." She said with a devilish grin.

She leaped into the air. "_Winged Slayer!" _She shouted blasting the doors open.

Her team sighed. "Come on slow pokes, times a wastin'! We have a guardian to beat up." Isa said stepping over the bits of door.

The group stepped into the castle and it looked like something out of a horror movie. It was dark, with creepy statues and paintings, it had a fire place that was going but it seemed to provide no heat to the icy air in the room and lastly it seemed like nobody was home.

"This place is giving me the creeps." Blake said shivering in the cold.

"It is pretty unnerving. How can Isa stand this place?" Jade asked looking at Isa bouncing around and touching everything.

"She's rather scary herself." Yuki said with a smile.

"Isn't this place awesome? Hey Yuki, after we beat the guardian and junk, do you think we could make this like our new home? I mean the last one was burnt down and stuff." Isa said excitedly.

"We'll see. Right now, I don't think anyone's home though." Yuki said looking around the giant room.

"Maybe they're out sucking blood." Blake muttered under his breath.

Jade jabbed him with her elbow. "Will you just relax? Trust me, there isn't any monster in the Netherworld that Isa and my sister can't handle." Jade said with a smile.

Blake smiled. "I guess you're right. I mean we are traveling with two members of Valiant. I'm sure we'll be fine." Blake said.

Suddenly, the air got much colder. "Are you sure about that mortal?" A cold horrible voice said.

Blake turned pale as a sheet. Standing in the hallway was a shadowy figure.

"Hey, I think I recognize that voice." Isa said who was still perfectly calm while Blake was one second away from hysterics.

The shadowy figure stepped out and it was…..a grey Prinny. Blake breathed a sigh of relief and he smiled.

"For second, I thought you were a really scary monster." He said looking at the Prinny.

"Oh, but I am. I'm a Reaper." The Prinny said in the same terrifying voice.

However it had the opposite effect on the group. They all began to laugh. The Prinny looked annoyed.

"I'm sorry, but that voice with that body. It's just so freaking funny!" Blake laughed.

"I can't breathe. Tell it to stop talking." Isa laughed while holding her sides.

"I suppose this might cure you of your laughter." The Prinny said turning into a terrifying cloaked figure wielding a large (and sharp) black scythe.

The group slowly stopped laughing. "Huh, I'm gonna faint now." Blake said falling over.

"Sooooo cool! You're the Reaper we fought against before. That's why you sounded familiar." Isa said in awe.

"You're that human. I'm ,what do you mortals call it, happy to see you." The Reaper growled.

"So, you're the guardian I presume?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, I'm the guardian of the scythe the Harbinger. I shall train you in the ways of it's use and along with the way I fight when I need to." The Reaper said.

"Cool, let's get to it." Isa said.

Blake stood back up and shook his head. "Man, I had a weird dream. There was this scary monster and it was going to be our trainer. Funny huh?" Blake asked the group.

He then noticed the Reaper again. "It wasn't a dream was it?" He asked.

"No, mortal." The Reaper said.

"Yeah, I'm just going to lie down again." Blake said fainting again.

"I think it would be better if I remain in the Prinny form." The Reaper said.

"Yeah," The girls said.

Team Amy: (Amy, Emily, Heart and Mandy)

Heart went up to mommy dragon and held out it's baby. It sniffed the baby and gently took it away from Heart. Heart and the dragon seemed to be in serious discussion. The dragon nodded then it flapped it's powerful wings and took off. Heart waved goodbye at them and skipped back to the team.

"Huh, what do you know? She's not dead." Emily said in mild surprise.

"I don't know how she does that." Amy said.

"I guess we start heading towards the Legacy now." Mandy said.

"Oh, the big dragon lady said it's over at that big tower thingy that way." Heart said pointing north.

"How the hell did she know that? Wait, you can speak dragon!" Amy and Emily asked in shock.

"I told you guys my mom wanted me to be a fire mage. So, every summer, she'd throw me into a dragon den. It was so much fun! After the dragons stopped trying to eat me, they taught me a lot of stuff." Heart said brightly.

"She lived with dragons. Why am I not surprised?" Emily shook her head with a smile.

The group headed towards the massive tower and when the drew close enough they noticed an old man sleeping out side of it.

"He must be the caretaker. Watch me handle this." Emily said walking up to the man.

"Excuse me, good sir. I was wondering if this , by any chance, is the tower where a Legacy is guarded." Emily said with a polite smile.

The man opened his eyes and looked up at Emily.

"Hmm, pretty face but this area isn't all that impressive." He said while touching her chest.

Emily turned bright red in both embarrassment and anger.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing to my friend?" Amy shouted angrily as she came over along with the rest of the team.

He reached up and touched her chest as well.

"Nope, no good either." He said.

Then he reached over and touched Mandy.

"Flat as a board." He said with a sigh.

Mandy turned bright red and ran away in embarrassment.

"Listen here old man, you have five seconds to tell us what we want before we beat the living crap out of you." Emily and Amy both said darkly.

He looked up at Heart. "My word, that has to be the most beautiful set of knockers I have ever seen." He said looking at Heart.

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Heart said bashfully.

The old man got a dangerous glint in his eyes that Amy and Emily recognized. It was the same look Dan gets when he steals underwear. He jumped fully intent on groping Heart.

"_Giga Star!" "Giga Ice!" _Emily and Amy shouted blasting the old man in the air.

"You guys might have killed him." Heart said.

"Good riddance." They both muttered.

"So, you're looking for the Leagcy huh?" The old man said.

The girls looked at him. "What the hell? We just sent you to space." Amy said in confusion. '

"It's pretty strong magic but not nearly strong enough to use the Dragon Eye." He said.

"Wait, don't tell me…" Emily started.

The old man grinned. "I'm the master of this tower and my name's Penn." He said.

"It's official. We're pervert magnets." Amy said with a sigh.

Team Nick: (Nick, Millie and Connor)

I was busy practicing by myself when Millie and Connor walked in.

"Hey guys, what's up." I said wiping my face.

"I want a match." Connor said holding out his spear.

"Okay, but I just need to finish or else Master Kitamura will kill me." I said practicing my swings.

"How many times do you need to do that?" Millie asked.

"Just a thousand more. I've already done 11 thousand." I said with a grin.

"Come on, you can make an ass of yourself later." Millie said grabbing Connor by the collar.

"H-Hey, what's the deal?" He asked in the hallway outside of the dojo.

"You should really stop trying to fight him. Like it or not, he's way too strong for you. The stuff the Demon Lords are putting him through isn't exactly easy." Millie said.

Connor huffed but didn't say anything. Then Millie noticed that someone else was watching Nick train.

"When are you just going to go over there and talk to him?" Millie asked Gina.

The red haired Magic Knight was fiddling with her fingers. "I always get nervous. Then I get clumsy and then I run away." She said softly.

"Come on, you have to take the initiative. Nick's not going to know you like him otherwise. Here I was going to give him this water bottle but you give it to him. He looks like he needs it." Millie said handing it to her with a smile.

Connor was watching all this fascinated and confused. Millie gave Gina a gentle push into the dojo.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted him to end up with Yuki." Connor said.

"I couldn't care less. This is gonna be really funny." Millie said slyly.

I was busy practicing that I didn't notice Gina until she was almost next to me.

"Oh um hi Gina." I said instantly feeling self conscious.

"I um brought you some water." Gina said her face slightly pink.

"Oh really, thanks." I said reaching out for it my face feeling hot.

But Gina dropped it and it spilled all over the floor.

"I'm really sorry! I um maybe I should just go." Gina said red with embarrassment.

"It's fine. I can still drink it." I said going to floor and began licking it up. Millie and Connor were both laughing their heads off watching me licking the floor frantically.

"See, it's fine. It just tastes a little like sweat and blood now is all." I said with a grin.

"Really? I'm glad. I just really wanted to talk to you." Gina said with a sigh of relief.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I asked turning red in surprise.

Gina then turned bright red. "I-I mean I um, I AHHH!" She said running away.

I sighed. Man, she always runs away. She must really hate me I thought. Then suddenly my stomach began to turn. I dashed out outside and began to throw up.

"Wow, that water must have tasted really bad." Connor said in shock.

"Naw, he always pukes and she always runs away. It never gets old." Millie said with a happy sigh.

* * *

**Once again, I swear this is a part of the actual story. Now I hope you guys enjoyed this light hearted stuff because things are about to get dark and serious (well as dark as serious as I can muster :P) for a while. It's the first multi part story in Driven Destiny and it's called Unbreakable Will. Coming Out tomorrow. Until next time, Later!**


	12. Mission 11 Unbreakable Will Part 1

Team Ian: (Ian, Dan, Gunny and Lily)

The group was in the tree house dojo of the Kit Cats and were panting as they struggled to adjust to Katie's training.

"Hey, I thought ya'll wanted to achieve Mana Flow. If it was easy then all my cats woulda learnt it." Katie said looking at the group.

Mana Flow is one of three mana altering techniques. It changes the way your mana works so that it can be more effective in battle. Mana Flow enables the user to control their mana so that they can focus it and gather it all into one place. Be it into a gun, fist, or blade. Mana Flow makes it so that the attack hits as if your using your entire mana on one attack but it's just really the same amount as always. This would let the group's older attacks become more powerful than ever. (So there isn't any confusion this is completely different than what Nick is capable of. These techniques don't actually change the actual mana itself which is what a Soul Weaver can do).

"We never said we were going to give up." Dan said with a grin.

"It's against our policy." Gunny said.

Katie smiled. "Very well, let's continue." She said.

Team Isa: (Isa, Yuki, Blake and Jade)

Isa's team were all in the dojo area of the Reaper's house. They were all sitting down completely beat.

"Man, the scary Prinny is a freaking slave driver." Blake said lying on his back.

"We're trying to achieve Max Mana. Altering mana is not exactly easy." Jade said.

Max Mana is the second mana altering technique. It enables the user too temporarily double their mana pressure for a short burst of insane power. The stronger the user the longer they can maintain it. For physical fighters like Isa, Yuki, Blake and Jade it's the ideal technique.

"Pfft, I don't know about you wimps but this is a piece of cake. I've already decided that I'm going to do whatever it takes to become stronger. No matter what." Isa said with a determined look on her face.

Yuki sighed with a smile. She's a lot more like her brother than she realizes.

Team Amy: (Amy, Emily, Heart, Mandy)

"I freaking hate it here!" Emily shouted in frustration.

The girls were all in the upper level of the tower where they've been training.

"But, we have to learn how to use Magnus Mana." Mandy said.

Magnus Mana is the third mana altering technique. It is geared specifically towards mages as it allows them to super charge their mana for spell casting. Penn has told them if they master it they may be able to achieve a higher spell then the Tera level.

"Do you honestly believe a word that pervert has to say." Emily asked angrily.

"But, we have to get stronger right? We can't just leave." Amy said.

Emily sat back down in an angry huff. "I never said I was going to leave." Emily muttered.

Amy smiled. "Didn't think so demon girl." She said.

Team Nick: (Nick, Millie and Connor)

"Alright, I think you've done enough for today." Aki said.

"Cool, so um can you guys cut me down?" I asked while hanging upside from the ceiling.

Aki drew his blade and with an invincible swing, I dropped onto my face. I jumped up and grinned at Millie who was waiting for me.

"Hurry up, we're going into town for some shopping." She said impatiently.

"Nick, you're still not ready to use Blaze Blader in battle. Don't do anything stupid." Hella said looking at me seriously. I nodded. "I'll see you all later!" I said waving at the Demon Lords as I ran after Millie. They sighed. Excalibur certainly can choose partners.

Connor was waiting at the gates. "You're bringing him?" He asked pointing at me.

"Of course, Nick's my playth-I mean really good friend." Millie said correcting herself quickly.

"Smooth." Connor said sarcastically.

"I think you're a good friend too Millie." I said with a smile.

"Luckily, he's an idiot. So where are we going to anyway?" Connor asked.

"You two are going to go do the shopping and I'm going to go do my own shopping." Millie said handing the pair of us a shopping list and some money. She dashed off.

"She's going to go stealing isn't she?" Connor asked knowingly.

I nodded. "Come on, this is a bunch of stuff. If we don't hurry, we might miss dinner." I said walking towards Arcane. Connor sighed but followed.

We went through the town and most of the people recognized us as Driven members. They all cheered for us and came up to shake our hands. I smiled.

"Do you want to split the list up? We can get everything faster then." Connor said.

I nodded and he handed me part of the list. "Just don't get sidetracked." Connor said uselessly.

"Aye Aye sir!" I said saluting him and heading off.

I had gathered up the stuff but I decided to wander around town. I noticed that everyone was just going about their business as usual. You wouldn't even think that Enigma was here at all. I noticed a group of young demon kids. Human wise I'd place them at around 8 or 7 (but technically they're older than me demon wise).

"Hey mister, do you wanna play with us?" One of the boys asked me.

"Sure, what are we playing?" I asked smiling.

"Hide or Go Boom." A girl said pointing to a Prinny that was next to her.

If it weren't for times like this I'd forget they were demons.

"Alright then, let's go." I said.

One of the kids started counting and we all dashed to our hiding places. "They'll never find me here." I said to myself confidently.

I had hidden inside a cardboard box. Suddenly, the boy was looking down at me. "How'd you find me?" I asked confused.

"You really shouldn't speak out loud." He said throwing the Prinny at me. BOOM!

I sighed to myself. I ended up losing every single time. My clothes are in worse condition than when I go to the volcano.

"There you are! What have you been doing all day?" Millie asked with Connor walking behind her.

"Oh, I was playing Hide or Go Boom." I said.

"I'm guessing you're not very good at it." Connor said eying my clothes.

"Yeah, not really." I said sheepishly.

The four kids (who were called Penny, Josh, Rena and Ben) were all looking at Millie and Connor with awe.

"You guys are from Driven." They all said.

"Yep, and this guy here is the legendary wielder of Excalibur." Millie said putting her arm around my shoulder.

"Really? You're that really strong guy?" Ben asked in awe.

"Well, I'm not all that strong. But, I do have Excalibur." I said patting my sword.

"I can't believe it. You're so bad at Hide Or Go Boom but you're like a hero." Penny said.

"When I get bigger, you'll let me into Driven right? I wanna be a hero like you." Josh said looking at me.

I smiled. "Sure, we could use all the help we can get." I said.

"Hey, how about we show them the guild? You guys would like that right?" Millie asked with a smile.

The kids nodded vigorously. "Millie. We can't just take them to our secret guild." Connor said.

"Why not? You guys can keep a secret right?" Millie asked winking while putting her finger over her lips.

All the kids put their fingers to their lips. Connor sighed.

"Your stupidity is a virus." He said looking at me.

After we told their parents, we led them into the guild. When we got back to the dojo, the Demon Lord looked at me.

"Why is there a child on your shoulders?" Roan asked pointing at Josh.

"Millie, is that the old man Nick beat up? He doesn't look like much." Josh said staring at Roan.

"Yes, that's the old man." Millie said trying hard not to laugh at Roan's annoyed look.

"You spent the whole day playing with children?" Aki asked in amusement.

"Yeah, they're like the coolest kids ever!" I said with a grin.

"He really sucks at Hide or Go Boom." Rena told Aki.

"I'll bet." He said dryly.

"Hey, it's not my fault. I can't help talking to myself. I get lonely easy." I muttered embarrassed.

Josh leaped down from my shoulders. "You guys trained Nick right? Well, I want to be as good as him so teach me." Josh demanded.

Jezebel smiled. "You certainly have the same look as he does. Maybe when you're older." She told him.

"Aw, I don't wanna wait that long." Josh said disappointed. I got an idea.

"Hey Josh, how about I teach you one of my favorite moves?" I asked him.

He brightened up instantly. "Really? Show me!" He shouted excitedly.

I kneeled down.

"Now watch what I do. Focus your thoughts onto your hand. Think of something that you really love. Now, concentrate your mana." I said to boy.

He made a face as he focused on his hand. There was a small flickering blue light which materialized into a small blue ball.

"Whoa, what is it?" He asked as he started to mess with it.

"The Will 'O Wisp. It's a simple light spell." Jezebel said.

"It's just a light?" Josh asked in disappointment.

"Basically but if you use it right." I said creating a small blue ball.

I focused my mana into it and it because bigger and brighter. "_Flaming Will!" _I shouted sending the ball at a target in the corner.

It burned a hole straight through"Even something small can become powerful if your will is strong enough." I said grinning.

Josh looked at his small ball with awe. "That's so cool! Teach me too Nick!" Ben said running over.

"Hey, us too!" Penny and Rena said.

"Alright, I'll teach it to all of you." I said in my best teacher voice.

"That boy really is just like Cassidy." Aki said with a smile.

It was beginning to get dark so Millie, Connor and I took the kids back home.

"That was so much fun. Can we play again tomorrow?" Josh asked me while bouncing in front of us.

"You're always welcome at Driven." Connor said with a smile.

Millie and I grinned at him. "I- I didn't I mean." Connor said flushing pink.

"He's finally catching the stupidity bug." I said grinning.

"Soon, everyone in the world will be just as foolish as us." Millie said high fiving me.

"Yay! Stupid Virus!" All the kids cheered.

We were nearing the center of town when I felt a sharp jolt of mana. "That can't be." Connor said.

Suddenly, large magical blasts hit us with force. I was already in Paladin and had put up a shield.

"Connor, get these kids back to the guild and get reinforcements!" I shouted.

Connor nodded. "Nick! Millie!" They shouted.

Millie and I grinned. "We have no intention of losing." We said as we let our mana pressure skyrocket.

"So, let's see if our training has paid off." Millie said as we dashed at the Enigma soldiers.

"_Blade Edge!" _Millie said effortlessly taking down three with the orange slash. '

I drew Excalibur and rushed forward while instantly switching back to warrior. "_Blade Rush!" _I said going through another three.

Two archers leaped towards us bows drawn. In a split second, Millie had already switched to her gun. "_Tri Star!" _She shouted shooting the multi colored blast.

It hit with incredible force and knocked the archers to the ground. A large group was going toward just.

"Time for the big guns?" Millie asked while drawing two daggers with a smirk. I nodded.

"_Flaming Crescent!" _I shouted launching my go to attack. "_Flaming Cross!" _Millie shouted attacking with her own version of Flaming Crescent which involved two flaming slashes that intersected.

The attacks hit the army and blew them to hell.

"That's the first time I've seen you use that move in battle. I've got to say, it's freaking awesome!" I said in awe.

"Well, no duh, I'm the one using it." Millie said with a flip of her hair.

"That's most impressive. You have become even stronger than before, Nick." I heard a familiar voice.

"Joel? You're working for Enigma?" I asked in shock looking at the former guild leader of Descent.

Jade's former guild. "Who the hell is this? Is he one of the Twelve?" Millie asked.

"I'm honored that you thought that but I'm merely a member." Joel said.

I could see how she could make the mistake. I beat Joel easily before but his mana pressure has grown tremendously. It's probably on par with Surt. This is what a real Soul Weaver is capable of huh I thought dryly.

"So, you've become an Epitaph?" I asked him.

"Yes, Mistress Fey has given me amazing strength. Enough to destroy you." Joel said looking at coldly.

So this Fey lady is their Soul Weaver. She must be really strong.

"I take it you've kicked his ass before." Millie said. I nodded.

There is no way I can take him on without using Blaze Blader. But, it's still not compete yet.

"I've got your back no matter what Nick." Millie said glaring at Joel.

I gave her a small smile. I can't lose hope before even trying. I've got Millie here with me.

"Remnant," I whispered into my charm.

It began to glow brightly and my mana began to resonate with Millie's. We rushed forwards and went straight for the big one. The move we've been working on together. Her daggers and my sword began to emit bright red flames.

"_Flaming Fury!" _We shouted the both of us launching a large vertical slash that fused into one overwhelming attack.

It hit Joel and exploded with a massive explosion that set fire to the area around it.

"_Omega Ice!" _Joel shouted turning the fire into ice.

"You stand no chance." Joel said pointing his hand at us.

"_Hail Storm!" _He said as a blizzard of solid ice balls came straight at us.

It was hard to see through the wind but Millie and I managed to dodge, break and duck through the storm.

"_Ice Spear!" _Joel said creating a large icicle and threw it straight at Millie and I.

I stood in front of it and blocked it with my sword. The icicle grinded itself into a flat tip and fell harmlessly to the ground.

"I will end it now!. _Ice Spear Storm!" _Joel shouted creating hundreds of icicles and launched them towards us.

We can't dodge all of these. Fine then. "We'll burn right through them!" Millie and I shouted.

_"FLAMING FURY!" _We shouted pushing the attack to the limit.

It managed to destroy most of the icicles but now Millie and I were almost our of mana.

That attack takes a lot of power I thought panting. That bastard doesn't even look like he broke a sweat.

"It's over! _Ice Spear Storm!" _Joel shouted attacking again.

Millie and I gathered up our mana. "_FLAMING FURY!" _We shouted attacking again.

But this time one of the icicles got through and it was headed straight at me. I closed my eyes and held out my sword to block it. I heard a thud but it didn't hit me. I looked in front of me and I saw Josh with the large icicle sticking out of his chest. My eyes widened in terror.

"JOSH!" Millie and I shouted.

We rushed over and caught him. "Are you crazy? What are you doing here? I told you to get to the guild!" I shouted while trying to see if I could help him.

It was hopeless. If we didn't get him to a healer fast he would… "I know but I can't be a hero by running from a fight. Besides, you told me that even something small can be strong if you will it right?" Josh asked with a weak smile.

His eyes were already starting to glaze over. "You're right. You're going to be an amazing hero someday Josh. I'll make sure of it." I said tears falling down my checks while I pumped my remaining mana into him.

"Nick, what are you doing?" Millie asked.

"That should maintain him for a little bit." I said as I stood up and stared at Joel.

"Millie, you're the fastest out of the two of us. Get him to the healers at the guild." I said simply.

"What are you going to do? You're completely out of mana." Millie said.

"Then I'll just borrow some. MANA BREAK!" I said holding out the remnant.

Millie felt it. It wasn't normal mana he was drawing upon. It was old, ancient and evil.

"Get him out of here." I said my body resonating with dark red mana.

"You still haven't told me what you're going to do." Millie said her voice small and scared.

"What I should have done in the first place. I'm going to kill him." I said coldly as my body exploded with dark red flames.

* * *

**Wow, we go from silliness to pretty serious in this chapter. Sorry, if it was a little jarring but well, that was kinda the point :P. Anyways, like I said this is going to be a multi part story (I still haven't figured out if it's a 3 or 4 part). Anyways, tell me what you guys think about this direction and don't worry. The silliness will return soon enough. Until next time, Later!**


	13. Mission 12 Unbreakable Will Part 2

The three groups had all rushed out of their respective dojos after feeling it. It was Nick and something was wrong with him. With Heart and Penn casting Mega Accel, they made it to Arcane in mere minutes. There was a large group of people around the center of town and there were numerous members of Driven as well. They were all collapsed on the ground..

"What's going on?" Yuki asked Connor.

"Nick, he just I don't know snapped. This Joel guy seriously injured a kid and Nick's mana, it just sorta…changed." Connor said trying his best to explain.

"Are you telling me he did this?" Blake asked in shock looking at the dozens of unconscious members of both Driven and Enigma.

"He said it was his fight and not to interfere." Millie said tightly.

"So he beat them up? That's not Nick at all. Isa sure but not Nick." Dan said.

"He's tapped into the Old Netherworld's mana. Before Cassidy, there was another wielder of the Sword of Kings and Remnant. He sealed away the dark side of the Netherworld and the dark mana that belonged to it." Aki explained.

"Are you saying my brother is being powered up by some kinda evil power?" Amy asked in shock.

"This is sooo…not awesome." Isa said quickly when she noticed the faces of the everyone around her.

"What can we do for him?" Gunny asked.

"It's out of our hands now. If he doesn't snap out of it, then that power will kill him." Roan said looking at fight.

I felt so different. My body felt so light and responsive. Excalibur was different as well. It was black/red instead of gold/red. I felt incredible mana coursing through my veins. I felt powerful and unstoppable.

"_FLAMING CRESCENT!" _I shouted launching a black version of my go to attack.

"_Ice Wall!" _Joel shouted putting up a wall of solid ice.

But my attack burst through the wall and hit Joel knocking him backwards. I didn't miss a beat and jumped through the hole. I charged up newfound mana into my blade.

"_Met Sever!" _I shouted hitting him with the dark purple slash.

It knocked Joel to the floor. Joel managed to roll to his feet. He managed to create an icicle blade and blocked my next attack. But my fire burned straight through his ice. I broke the icicle.

"_Blade Rush!" _I shouted going straight through him.

Joel fell to his knees and I pointed the tip of my sword at his neck.

"So, you're going to kill me now human?" Joel asked.

"If you're dead you can't hurt anyone else." I said pushing the blade a little deeper drawing a small trickle of blood.

"Nick, what are you doing? You can't kill him. That's not who you are!" Amy shouted.

"If I don't then he's just going to come back and hurt more people. I'm just doing what I should have done in the first place." I said still not looking at them.

"You're not a bad guy. Why would you kill someone?" Ian asked sounding confused and scared.

I didn't answer. "Human, when you told me you would always be there to fight the wicked, didn't you mean it?" The Reaper asked in his cold voice.

"I've grown up since then. I'm not going to let Enigma hurt anyone else." I said.

"So, you're going to do the same thing they do?" Gunny asked bitterly.

"You know that logic means shit to me Gunny." I said.

"What about Jack? What would he think? You both decided that everyone deserves a second chance after what happened." Isa said.

I gripped my sword tighter. I looked at my siblings. They remembered what happened and I didn't. Some hero I turned out to be huh Casey I thought as I smiled bitterly. What I didn't notice was that Joel was gathering magic into his hand.

"_Ice Spear!" _Joel shouted hitting me point blank through the chest.

I gasped in pain. "This is why you will never be able to defeat Enigma. You're all too soft." Joel said with a swift kick that sent me flying.

I crashed through a wall my body returning to normal as I lost consciousness. "I see you've joined Driven Jade. You know where you really belong." Joel said as his group disappeared.

Isa and Millie were about to chase after but Aki held up a hand.

"This battle has gone on long enough. I think it's best we gather the injured and head back to base." He said.

Yuki looked over at my unconscious form. What kind of evil would make someone like you act this way? she thought.

I woke up on my bed in Driven. Josh I thought. I jumped out of bed and headed straight for the medical ward. Numerous members of Driven were in bandages or were just getting healed. What happened last night? I thought. Everyone looked at me but it wasn't how they normally did. It was a mixture of anger and fear.

"Nick, are you okay?" Heart asked me looking at my chest that was heavily bandaged.

"I'll live. How's Josh?" I asked.

"He's alive but barely. If he was older his own natural mana would help the healing process but he's just not strong enough on his own." Heart said sadly.

I felt another jolt of anger. "It's all my fault! I should have been able to protect him." I said slamming my fist against door.

"Nick, it wasn't your fault. This is war remember? It's out of our control." Heart said gently.

I didn't say anything. "I hurt them too didn't I? A lot of last night was fuzzy but I know it was me who hurt them." I said quietly.

"Get some sleep Nick. I'll come to change your bandages later." Heart said with a warm smile.

I turned to leave but Heart hugged me from behind. "Please don't ever change Nick. I don't want you to ever be like that again." Heart said her voice cracking.

I smiled. "I'll be careful." I said softly.

I went back to the dojo where everyone was waiting for me.

"Are you feeling better?" Yuki asked me.

"I'm just a little sore. You guys should be out training." I said looking at them.

"Well, it's not our fault someone decided to go nuts." Emily said.

"Yeah, I know. I don't think just saying sorry would cut it. I nearly killed someone and put most of our guild in the hospital." I said tightly.

"I would be lying if I said you were wrong." Gunny said.

"So, what now?" I asked.

"Joel is still out there and so is the rest of Enigma but I don't want anyone of you fighting until you're training is complete. Katie, Penn and Reaper have all agreed to continue the training here." Aki said nodding at the three Guardians.

"You realize what you've done right boy? You've tapped into dark and evil mana from the past." Penn said.

"I guess that would explain why it felt strange." I said.

"What exactly happened back then?" Amy asked.

"It was way before our time. Hundreds of thousands of years ago. A human came into the Netherworld for the first time but it was different from how it was now. The denizens were actual cruel, selfish and wicked because of the dark influence of the mana in that time. But, that man used his blade and charm to seal away the dark mana and purify the world. This is the Netherworld we all know today." Penn said.

"But, this dark mana is not so easily escaped. It dwells within all demons locked away deep within their bodies."

We all absorbed the information. This original wielder must have been something back in his day.

"So, how did I tap into it?" I asked.

"Where do you think he sealed the power?" Penn asked tapping the Remnant.

"Are you saying I'm wearing the greatest source of evil in the world around my neck?" I asked in shock.

Penn chucked. "Naw, that would be too convenient." He said.

I sighed in relief while everyone else glaring at Penn angrily.

"It was sealed in the core of the Netherworld using the Remnant as a key. Wearing the Remnant makes you that much closer to the dark powers." Jezebel said.

Wow, just by wearing it I can tap into some of the mana. How powerful is this stuff in full? I thought.

"Nick, I'm sure you realize that what you've done deserves punishment. We can't play favorites." Roan said.

I nodded. "Good, you're off active battle duty for the foreseeable future. Until you learn to control Mana Break, you're just a liability." He said.

As much as it sucks, I knew they were right. The little while I felt that mana, scared me and excited me. I could easily get completely sucked in next time I thought.

"I understand." I said.

"Alright, everyone let's get back to training. Our enemies are closing in on our location." Aki said.

Everyone once again split off into their groups with their teachers and all went off to train. "Nick, let's get going." Hella said.

I nodded. "I have something to ask you guys. I've been thinking. As much as I don't want to go around killing people, I can't just Enigma do as they want. They're way too strong for that." I said.

"So, growing up a little huh?" Aki asked.

"I want you all to teach me how to seal away mana." I said.

"Well, it should be rather simple for you once we show you." Jezebel said.

"I don't want a temporary seal. I want one that's permanent." I said.

The four of them stared at me blankly. "Are you nuts? That's not possible. One person maybe but there's Twelve of them. That's not including powerful members like Joel." Hella said.

"Maybe, but I can't let Enigma keep hurting people but I can't kill them either. So, I'm going to have to do the impossible." I said with a grin.

Well, at least he's back to normal they thought.

Jade was sitting outside the guild after training on her own. She was staring up at the stars.

"You've been awfully quiet since last night." Yuki said sitting next to her sister and handing her a water bottle.

Jade took it with but she just turned it over in her hands.

"Are you thinking about what Joel said about you?" Yuki asked.

Jade nodded. "You aren't actually considering his offer are you?" Yuki asked.

"Don't be stupid. I have not intention of joining Enigma. It's just Joel right though. I don't really belong here either. I can try and pretend I do but last night made me realize. I've done horrible things Yuki." Jade said softly.

"That's in the past." Yuki said trying to reassure her sister.

"You can say that but the past isn't so easy to forget. The more time I spend here I just feel even more guilty. After everything I've done, I don't deserve this. I don't deserve kindness, friendship, or family. I don't deserve to be happy." Jade said bitterly tossing away the bottle.

"Jade.." Yuki started.

"Please, just leave me alone." Jade said walking away from her sister.

"The past huh?" Yuki said to herself as she thought about what my siblings said last night. It seems you aren't the only one who can't forget the past Jade.

* * *

**Well, that was a pretty emotionally charged chapter. Anyways, I want to give a shout out to Spindash77 who indirectly gave me the idea for the Jade stuff in this chapter and the one to come. Trust me when I say next chapter things get even more intense. Also, new Semi Random Nonsense tomorrow! (We got to lighten up the mood somehow) That's all I've got to say for now. Until next time, Later!**


	14. Mission 13 Unbreakable Will Part 3

I collapsed to the floor of the dojo covered in sweat and panting heavily.

"I think you've done enough today." Aki said looking at me.

"N-not…. yet, I- can- keep- going-g" I panted.

"I understand that you're feeling guilty but you've been working yourself to the bone these past few days." Hella said.

I sat back up. "That's not the reason. I want to get stronger. Strong enough so no one ever has to get hurt again. Until then, I want you guys to keep training me." I said looking at them with determination in my eyes.

They all sighed but smiled. "Alright, get up. We've got more work to do." Roan said.

" Awesome!" I said jumping to my feet.

My legs wobbled like jelly and I promptly fell flat on my face.

"Maybe you should rest a little longer." Jezebel said sweat dropping.

Yuki was worried about Jade. She had been increasingly distant as the days passed since Nick's little accident.

"Hey, is something wrong with Jade?" Blake asked after training.

"She keeps running off as soon as we're done." Isa asked.

"I don't know. I've been trying to ask her but she won't talk to me about it." Yuki said.

"I could talk to her if you want Yuki." Blake said.

"Or I could. No one really likes you Blake." Isa said.

"Really?!" Blake asked in shock.

"Especially Lily." Isa said with a devilish grin.

Blake got a depressed look on his face. Yuki smiled. "It's okay guys. Jade's always been like this." She said.

* * *

Jade was wandering in Arcane her head full of doubt. (_I never should have gotten caught up with them in the first place she thought. I left Descent after the fight with Valiant. As much as I hated Yuki back then, I knew she was right. After that, I ended up in Driven and before I knew it, I realized I was happy. I had my sister back and I had friends who cared about me. But I can't keep lying to myself. I'm not like the rest of Valiant she thought._) Without realizing it she had started wandering towards Descent's old H.Q in Tear Forest.

"It seems you've finally wised up Jade." She heard behind her.

It was Travis who was her old leader on her team.

"You're apart of Enigma too aren't you?" Jade asked.

He smirked. "I've always liked being on a winning team. I thought you did too." He replied.

"I have no intention of joining Enigma." Jade said while glaring at Travis.

"You can sense it right? The power I've been given by Enigma." Travis said.

Travis always had incredible mana pressure but this is insane she thought. His power has got to be on par with the Demon Lords or maybe even higher

"Why did you join Descent in the first place? Wasn't it to get out of Yuki's shadow? But, here you are back to square one. I can't believe you let that stupid human sweet talk you." Travis said shaking his head.

"I joined Driven because what Enigma is doing is wrong." Jade shouted.

"Really? Didn't you used to do the exact same thing in Descent?" Travis asked with a smirk.

Jade opened her mouth but stopped. "That's it isn't it? You know you don't belong there don't you?" Travis asked.

Jade remained silent. "Come on, why don't you just come in? See, what we've done to the place since you've been gone." Travis said nodding his head towards the guild. Jade hesitated but went inside.

* * *

"Are you guys saying Jade's gone?" I asked my team.

"I haven't seen her since this morning." Yuki said looking clearly worried.

"She could have gone out for a walk." Emily suggested.

"Not for 15 hours." Blake said.

"Gunny, what do you think?" I asked him.

"Well, seeing Joel again must have stirred up old memories. She's probably feeling troubled." Gunny said.

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Lily asked.

"Duh, full search party." Isa said.

"Most of our guild doesn't exactly feel too happy with Team Valiant right now." Yuki said.

"It's my fault. If I hadn't lost control, then Jade would have never seen Joel." I said.

"She would have eventually. You can't blame everything on yourself." Amy said smacking me in the head.

"I guess we go out looking for her. We'll split up and look all around Arcane." Yuki said.

"Alright, let's go." I said jumping up.

"Where do you think you're going? You're off active duty remember?" Gunny said.

"Aw man, I forgot." I said sitting back down.

"We'll find her don't worry." Millie said.

They all left to go search. I sat down and waited a few minutes. I jumped up and snuck out. I grinned to myself. I'll just take whatever punishment I'll get later. Right now, I've got a friend to find I thought as I held out the Remnant.

* * *

Most of the former Descent members were still here. "All of you work with Enigma?" Jade asked.

"Yeah, our whole team is still here." Travis said pointing towards Jade's former teammates.

(Note: Read chapters 14-16 of the first season if you forgot who these people were. I know you did too. Even I had to look at those chapters again.) They're really all here Jade said looking at the group.

"Where have you been? We've been waiting for our genius swordswoman forever." Meg said her hands on her hips.

"Arnold has been especially sad." Steve said patting the giant axe wielder.

Arnold nodded sheepishly. "You can feel our mana right? This is the power you can have if you join Enigma. Then you can finally show up that stupid sister of yours." Lori said with a wicked grin.

"Jade, we want you to come back." Travis said with a serious look on his face.

Jade looked down at her feet. (_I don't want to join Enigma. I don't want to do terrible things anymore. But, why do I still feel like this? Jade thought._)

"You know this is where you belong Jade. This is your home." Joel said with a smile.

"Oh so this is where you were Jade. Whoa, this place is huge." A black haired boy said walking into the guild, his hazel eyes wide with awe.

"Nick." Jade said looking at me. I grinned at her. "Everyone's worried about you Jade. Let's get back home." I said holding out my hand to her.

Jade hesitated. "Don't you get it moron? She is home." Travis said stepping between us.

"But, this isn't the Driven H.Q. So, how can she be home then?" I asked in confusion.

"Let me put in terms even you can understand. She's staying here. For good." Lori said glaring at me.

I looked at Jade. "Is that true, Jade? I mean it is pretty nice in here but they're bad guys." I said looking at her.

"I-I don't know what I want." Jade said sounding just as confused as I was.

"Now, I'm sure you've realized by now that you've walked into the wrong place." Joel said as numerous members of Descent began gathering around me.

I looked around. "I didn't come here to fight. I'm not supposed to anyway." I said sheepishly.

The truth was I was afraid of using Mana Break. I don't want to lose control again. I might end up hurting more people. I can't let that happen.

"This will be easy then. FIRE!" Joel shouted as the gunners, archers and mages all blasted at me.

I put my hands out to defend myself but I still flew backwards and into a wall. I cried out in pain as I slammed into it and I fell onto the ground. I got to my feet slowly.

"_Dark X Slash!" _Travis shouted attacking with the black x shaped slash attack.

It hit me and sent me tumbling backwards until I hit another wall. I got back to my feet once again.

"_Big Bang!" "Omega Wind" "Omega Fire!" _Steve, Meg and Stacy shouted blasting me again.

The explosion sent me into the air and I fell downwards on my back with a sickening thud. My vision was starting to blur and I'm sure I broke a couple ribs that time I thought lying on my back.

"You really are an idiot. You're going die if you don't fight back." Travis said pointing his sword at me.

I grinned my face covered in cuts that were dripping with blood.

"I'm not going to die until I've beaten Enigma and turned the Netherworld back to normal." I said getting back to my feet again.

I stumbled but kept my balance. "So, are you ready to go home now Jade?" I asked her again.

Jade was dumbfounded. (_Why are you putting yourself through this she thought. Please just stop it, Nick she thought to herself_).

"You stubborn fool. Why won't you just stay down?" Steve said punching me and knocking me to the ground again.

"All members of Team Valiant are stubborn. It's just the way we are." I said getting up again.

"Nick, please don't this. I can't go back. I don't belong there. I've done horrible things." Jade cried as tears rolled down her face.

"So what?" I asked getting back to my feet.

"Huh?" Jade asked.

"It's not about the past but what you're going to do in the future. Everyone deserves a chance to start over. I should know." I said with a smile.

"But, I-" Jade started.

"I don't care what kind of person you were before. All that matters is the person you are now. The person that's one of my awesome friends." I said with a goofy grin.

Travis was trembling with fury.

"You make me sick. That moronic view of the world. I will make it all come crashing down around you!" Travis shouted swinging his sword towards me.

A large blue beam came crashing through the door and hit Travis dead on. It sent him flying but he managed to get back on his feet and skid to a stop. He looked up and saw that Gunny was standing at the door along with the rest of Valiant. Gunny pulled off his goggles.

"You're an idiot." Gunny said with a sigh.

"I know. So, can you guys help me out here?" I asked with a smile.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I've been dying to kick their asses again." Isa said cracking her knuckles.

* * *

**I know that this may be a little cliche but I've always liked this type of scene in anime/manga/movies/other junk so I hope you guys like it too! So, the final part of this little arc will come out tomorrow. Until next time, Later!**

**Edit: Sorry, that this chapter wasn't clear before guys. Anyways, I took your advice and hopefully this will be a little clearer to read.**


	15. Mission 14 Unbreakable Will Part 4

"_MET SEVER!" _"_DARK X SLASH!" _The two powerful attacks hit each other with deafening force and canceled each other out in a powerful explosion. But that didn't stop Connor who closed the distance in a instant.

"_Jolt Javelin!" _He shouted trying to impale Travis with an attack that was sparking lightening but Travis was able to block it easily.

"_Whirlwind!" _Travis shouted attacking with rapid sword swings.

Connor leaped backwards but he was too close. A few swings hit him giving him a few shallow cuts. He's fast, if I was a second slower I'd be done for Connor thought.

"DARK X SLASH!" Travis shouted launching the attack again.

Connor leaped to his side and charged up his mana into his spear. It began sparking with electricity.

"_Lightening Spear!" _He shouted throwing his spear at Travis.

Travis leaped into the air avoiding the attack. "_Winged Slayer!" _Travis shouted launching the blast at Connor.

Connor brought up his hands to defeat himself but he ended up flying backwards.

Travis however wasn't letting up. "_Blade Rush!" _Travis shouted going straight through Connor's defense.

Connor fell to his knees. Just how much stronger have Descent gotten?

* * *

Ian and Steve were enhancing blows at ridiculous speeds.

"_Exploding Fist!" "Mach Kick!" _The two attacks hit each other and sent the pair of them skidding backwards.

"_Giga Smash!" _Steve shouted hitting the ground causing the earth to shift and large jagged rocks came out towards Ian.

Ian, without missing a beat, leapt between the rocks. He bent down low his hand lighting on fire. "_Rising Dragon!" _He shouted aiming for the uppercut.

But, Steve was on him. He caught Ian's hand and threw him over his shoulder. "_Mach Kick!" _Steve shouted launching a kick at Ian while he was still falling.

Ian raised his hands in time for a block but ended up flying uncontrollably backwards. He managed to land on his feet with a flip. He may be a bad guy but he's a good fighter Ian thought. How can I beat him?

* * *

Gunny and Mandy were dodging an onslaught of bullets and arrows from Troy and Becky. Troy was able to stop everything I threw at him last time and I don't have any bombs with me this time. I have to use the Exceed Cannon. It's the only way Gunny thought.

"Mandy, try to buy me some time. If I can just get up to 20% that should be enough to create an opening for you to use Atremis's Arrow." Gunny told her while putting on his goggles.

"Got it, I've got just the thing." Mandy said readying herself.

"_Alpha Split!" _Mandy shouted as she created 9 copies of herself. The copies all shot arrows at the Descent pair but they were fast.

"Charging 5%" Gunny said.

"I don't think so! _Promxity Shot!" _Troy shouted launching the powerful beam.

"_Raining Rush!" _Becky shouted launching an arrow into the air that split into multiple ones.

Mandy's copies got in the way of both attacks but that left the her and Gunny wide open.

"It's over! _Dark Filament!" _Troy shouted launching a powerful black/blue beam.

"_Lightening Flash!" _Becky shouted launching a lightening bolt shaped arrow that turned into an actual lightening bolt.

"Damn it," Gunny said getting up.

It's only at 16% but this will have to do. "Mandy, let's do it!" He shouted.

"_Exceed Cannon!" _Gunny shouted blasting an enormous blue beam.

"_Atermis's Arrow!" _Mandy shouted letting an arrow go that turned into a steam of white light.

The two attacks hit each other but Gunny and Mandy's attacks were overpowered. The blasts exploded. Gunny and Mandy were blasted backwards but they managed to stay on their feet. That wasn't even a direct hit. If it had been, this really would be over Mandy thought. Is this what Enigma's really capable of?

* * *

Amy and Emily were slinging magic at Meg and Stacy who were giving it right back.

"_Omega Fire!" "Omega Wind!" "Omega Ice" "Omega Star!" _The four mages shouted blasting at each other.

The attack canceled each other out but this didn't slow them down.

"_Railgun!" _Emily shouted blasting a concentrated and narrow beam of star magic at Stacy out of her finger.

Stacy leaped to the side effortlessly dodging one of Emily's strongest attacks.

"_Ice Beam!" _Amy shouted blasting a beam of pure ice magic at her foe.

"_Flaming Destruction!" _Meg shouted using a fire beam to melt away Amy's attack.

Amy and Emily leaped backwards and regrouped. "Emily, let's go for it." Amy said creating a small wind ball in her hand.

Emily nodded creating the star ball. "Two can play at that game. Stacy." Meg said as Stacy handed her a wind ball while she created a fire ball.

Amy pushed the two balls together and forced her hands downwards. The two balls sparked together to create a ball of energy that was sparking lightning everywhere. Meg did the same with her two energy balls but it was an intense flame. Amy dashed forwards and so did Meg.

"_LIGHTENING BLADE!" "FLAME EDGE!" _The girls shouted pushing the two balls together.

But Amy was overpowered. The attacks exploded and Amy ended up flying backwards. Emily got in her way and managed to catch her.

"You okay?" Emily asked.

"I'll be fine but this isn't going so well." Amy said. They're matching us attack for attack and they're winning Amy thought.

* * *

Blake was leading the charge against the powerhouse Arnold.

"_Colossal Fissure!" _Blake shouted hitting Arnold dead on but the giant man just shrugged off the attack.

"_TRI STAR!" "PROMIXITY SHOT!" _Lily,Dan, and Millie shouted attacking with the powerful three colored beam and the powerful blue beam but Arnold simply raised an arm and knocked the attacks away.

Arnold brought down his axe to smash the three of them but something got in the way. Blake was using his axe to try and block the massive axe of Arnold. Blake's legs were getting pushed deeper and deeper into the ground.

"Blake!" Lily shouted.

"Don't worry about me. Get him!" Blake said as he was being pushed even further downwards.

"Millie, let's go for it." Dan said.

Millie nodded. The pair of them moved forwards. Dan dashed around Arnold at a blinding speed. He landed in front of him.

"_ROGUE RUSH!" _Dan shouted as over a hundred slashes hit Arnold.

Millie drew both of her daggers. "_FLAMING CROSS!" _Millie shouted launching a flaming cross shaped slash at Arnold.

Both attacks hit Arnold who let up his attack on Blake. Blake leaped backwards.

"Lily!" Blake shouted. Lily plunged her gun into the ground and pulled the trigger.

"_Giga Break!" _Lily shouted as large spires shot up from the ground.

Blake leaped from spire and leaped up until he was above the giant. His axe was glowing as he turned over and over in mid air.

"_SKULL SPILTER!" _Blake shouted hitting Arnold directly on his head.

Arnold was sent staggering backwards. Blake landed on the ground. Did that do it Blake thought? As the dust cleared they saw that Arnold was still standing and looked angrier than before. Dan noticed that everyone was panting. We're already close to our limits. Damn it, can we really beat these guys? Dan thought

* * *

Isa and Lori were dashing along side each other. They both leaped into the air and twisted to face each other.

"Hey, looks like you got better. Maybe this time you won't suck so bad." Isa said with a smirk.

"I wish I could say the same for you." Lori said smirking.

They clashed in mid air and landed on the ground. "_Vampiric Edge!" _Isa shouted launching the red/black jagged slash that was sparking with white lightening.

Lori twirled her spear around and blocked the attack with a smooth upwards motion. While still spinning her spear, she focused her mana into it.

"_Avalanche!" _Lori said whipping her spear into the ground launching large rocks into the air that began falling from the sky.

Isa broke through the rocks and dashed towards Lori with the intent to use Blade Rush. But, Lori sidestepped the attack and charged her mana once again.

"_Hurricane Slash!" _Lori said launching a green vertical slash at Isa.

Isa held out her sword to block but the attack kept pushing her until she crashed into a wall. Isa got back to her feet shaking rocks from her head. She's defiantly stronger. How freaking strong is Enigma? Isa thought.

* * *

Yuki and Joel were moving and attacking each other at insane speeds.

"_Met Sever!" _Yuki shouted launching the crimson/purple slash that was the signature attack of the Kitamura style.

Joel put up a shield made of ice that blocked the attack. He then created a spear made of ice and blocked Yuki's follow up attack.

"Face Kitamura, you all are no match for Descent." Joel said to her.

"Match or not, we're going to beat you." Yuki said pushing off from Joel.

Yuki's blade became charged with mana. She leaped into the air and drew her blade behind her head.

"_Winged Slayer!" _She shouted launching the massive blast.

Joel dashed to his side dodging the attack.

"_Ice Spear!" _He shouted throwing the icicle at Yuki.

Yuki slashed it to bits but Joel kept throwing them. Yuki was frantically trying to defend.

"_ICE SPEAR STROM!" _Joel shouted launching hundreds of the spears at Yuki.

They hit the ground and her with force causing a cloud of snow. When it cleared Yuki was still standing but barely. She was panting her face and body covered in bleeding cuts.

"It's over for you Valiant." Joel said.

* * *

"That's the best I can do. If Heart was here she'd have you up and running in no time." Jade said as she was patching me up.

"It's okay. I feel a lot better. Thanks." I said with a smile.

Jade looked over to our team who was fighting a losing battle. "I still don't understand why you guys are doing all this." Jade said.

"I told you. We're your friends and you need us. That's all the reason we need." I said standing up.

"What are you doing?" Jade asked looking shocked.

"I'm the leader and my team is losing. It's clutch time." I said with a wink.

I walked over to battle with my body screaming at me to just lay down. "Hey, I'm not done with you all yet." I said to Descent.

"Nick, you're in no condition to fight." Yuki said as she struggled to get back to her feet.

"Speak for yourself. I'm here to save the day and stuff." I said drawing my sword.

"Finish them." Joel said pointing at us.

I drew upon the little mana I had left and dashed forwards. The archers and mages blasted at me but I dodged the attacks. Jade smiled to herself. (_I'm an idiot_ she thought to herself). I leaped into the air with my sword glowing blue with mana.

"_MET SEVER!" _I shouted hitting all the members of Descent with one go.

It didn't effect Travis's team or Joel but I wasn't counting on that. (_I was worried for nothing. They've already accepted me_ Jade thought).

"Is that all you had left? Pathetic." Joel said.

"Hey, I'm still standing aren't I? I'm not done yet." I said despite the fact that I had no mana left.

Travis slashed at me but Jade got in the way and blocked it with her blade. "What are you doing Jade?" Travis asked in shock.

"Protecting my friend." Jade said pushing Travis backwards.

"Are you stupid? Why did you chose them? They're weak and we're strong. I thought you wanted to be stronger." Lori asked.

"I realized that I'm much stronger with than them then I would ever be with you all." Jade said glaring at them.

"Then you'll die with them as well." Travis said glaring right back.

"Hey, we're not dead yet." Isa said as the rest of the team got back up.

Joel laughed. "What can you all possibly do? You all are out of mana and are barely hanging on to consciousness." Joel said.

"As long as we still breathe, we'll fight. DRIVEN DRAGONS, ROAR!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"YEAH!" Everyone else shouted.

"Destroy them." Joel said.

We all separated and leaped forwards crossing blades with Descent. (_We can't win this fight_ I thought). (_We're all out of mana and too injured_ I thought).(_I need to use it or else we're doing to die here_ I thought looking at the Remnant). _But, what went wrong? Why did I lose control last time? Why was it different?_ Then it dawned on me. I smiled to myself. We were all knocked backwards everyone barely conscious. I got back to my feet and pulled off the Remnant.

"Nick, what are you doing?" Yuki shouted.

I smiled at her. "I have to do it Yuki." I said to her.

"Are you planning on losing control again boy?" Joel asked with an amused look.

"Nah, I've got this figured out. MANA BREAK!" I shouted raising the remnant into the air and closed my eyes.

_Focus. Focus. I'm not here to kill anyone. I'm here to protect my friends and family. Give me that power. Please._ I felt it. I was gathering mana from across the Netherworld. A large ball of blue mana was gathered around my hand. My eyes snapped open.

"OVERCHARGE!" I shouted as the mana entered my body and the bodies of my team.

My body felt even better than it did before. Everyone was sparking with blue electricity.

"I think with this power, we can go all out." I said grinning.

"This is amazing. I've never felt this kind of power before." Yuki said in awe.

"This is what you've been training for. Incredible." Gunny said.

"So, will you say the words big bro?" Isa asked with a smirk.

"I'd be honored to. Alright Valiant, let's kick some ass!" I shouted.

"MANA CHANGE! MAX!" Yuki, Isa, Blake and Jade shouted as they focused on their training.

"MANA CHANGE! FLOW!" Gunny, Dan, Ian, and Lily shouted as they focused on their training.

"MANA CHANGE! MANGUS!" Amy, Emily, and Many shouted as they focused on their training.

It was amazing. Their mana pressure was not only crazy strong but it was different as well I thought. This is what they were training for huh?

"Well, I can't be left behind. CLASS CHANGE! BLAZE BLADER!" I shouted as my body exploded with fiery power.

I stared at Descent with my orange eyes. "Now, let's finish this." I said holding out Excalibur covering the red/gold sword with bright orange flames.

Yuki dashed forwards her body sparking with red mana as she entered Max mana and she threw a punch at Travis. Travis tried to block the attack but it sent him flying his blade cracking. Yuki not missing a beat drew her sword.

"_MET SEVER!" _Yuki shouted launching an even more powerful version of her attack.

It hit Travis and he fell over. (_I can't believe it. One attack and I'm barely able to stand_ he thought).

Ian dashed towards Steve. Steve tried to punch Ian who ducked under. His hand began flaming as he focused his entire mana into this one attack.

"_RISING DRAGON!" _Ian shouted hitting Steve with the flaming attack.

Steve fell on his back out for the count.

Becky and Troy were desperately trying to hit Gunny and Mandy but they were moving way too fast.

"_Gamma Spilt!" _Mandy shouted as she spilt into 81 copies of herself that all rushed towards the Descent pair.

Troy and Becky barely managed to defend against the attack. "Charge 100%." Gunny said as his gun had fully charged in a second.

"_EXCEED CANNON!" _Gunny shouted as he fired a red blast the size of a mountain at the pair.

It broke through the ceiling of the building and sent the pair into the sky They came crashing back down and were out for the count.

Isa was easily dodging all of Lori's attacks. Lori tried to stab her but Isa sidestepped the blow. Isa charged her blade with the red mana.

"_VAMPIRIC EDGE!" _Isa shouted launching the slash.

The attack hit Lori and sent her into a wall. She fell down unconscious.

Amy and Emily dodged the attacks sent by Meg and Stacy. "Ready?" Amy asked her partner.

Emily nodded with a grin. Amy created a massive ball of wind magic and Emily created a massive ball of star magic. They pushed them together until they were holding a giant sparking magic ball. They rushed forwards and leaped into the air perfectly in sync.

"_THUNDER BREAK!" _They shouted hitting both mages with the electric attack.

It exploded and they were out like a light.

Arnold was trying to hit the four members of Valiant but they were way too fast. "Let's do it!" Dan shouted.

Dan and Millie both shot forwards disappearing from view. They both stood in front of Arnold. "_ROGUE RUSH!" _They both shouted as an uncountable number of slashes hit Arnold.

He was sent flying backwards but Lily and Blake were right after him.

Lily leaped into the air. "_GIGA BREAK!" _Lily shouted as the spires hit Arnold knocking him into the air.

Blake was after him in a second. Blake's axe glowed with purple energy.

"_VIOLENT STORM!" _Blake said hitting Arnold with dozens of heavy slashes.

Blake landed on the ground as Arnold crashed down unconscious.

"You see it right? This is what Valiant is truly capable of." I said to Joel as Jade and I faced off against him.

"I can still kill you all! _ICE SPEAR STORM!" _He shouted launching the spears at us.

But they all melted from my fiery mana pressure. "Face it Joel, you lost." Jade said.

Joel laughed manically. "I'm not done yet!" He shouted as he created a spear and charged towards us with a crazy glint in his eyes.

"Let's finish this Jade." I said to her.

She nodded. We dashed forwards both our swords glowing with red with fire. We leaped into the air a dragon behind us.

"_DRAGON CROSS!" _We shouted slashing a red and blue slash that came together and became a red/blue x shaped slash with a dragon roaring behind us.

It hit Joel with force and sent him flying backwards into a wall. He fell over barely conscious. I stepped towards him.

"So, you're going to finish me off now human?" Joel asked with bitter smile.

"You're never going to hurt anyone ever again Joel. MANA SEAL!" I shouted as my mana shot into his body.

The symbol of a dragon appeared on his forehead. Joel fell over unconscious. I breathed out a sigh of relief. We won I thought a grin. We actually freaking won!

After I had finished sealing the rest of Descent, we all headed back home. "I get it now Yuki. Why you're so willing to follow him." Jade said looking at me who was fast asleep and being carried by Ian. Yuki smiled. "He's rather strange isn't he? I'm glad you're staying. I missed having my little sister around." Yuki said. Jade gave her an annoyed look. I may not deserve it but I'm glad I have friends like these Jade thought with a smile.

* * *

**End of Vol 2**

**Whew, that was a pretty intense fight. Quick note, I made the battle a little similar to how it turned out in the first season (Chapters 14-16) but one thing you'll notice is that it's pretty clear to see that Team Valiant has become a hell of lot stronger (Amy and Emily were using mostly Giga level spells in their fight.) Anyways, that's the end of the volume/arc/whatever. The next one has a little less fighting and is primarily focused on the characters and their relationships with each other. Non romantic of course. Well, not entirely ;). I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far and I appreciate all the reviews! Until next time, Later!**

**Vol 3: Team Valiant 2.0 starts next week!**


	16. Mission 15 Back To Training!

**Vol 3: Team Valiant 2.0**

Connor woke up in his room still feeling tired from the battle with Descent 3 days ago.

"I still can't believe we won that fight." Connor muttered to himself as he remembered the fight that nearly killed them all.

_(If our moronic leader hadn't been able to use that Mana Break, we'd all be done for he thought). _He got dressed and headed down to the dinning hall. A few members of the guild said hello but most of them looked away. (_I guess they still don't trust us_ Connor thought dryly). Team Valiant was already waiting for him there. They were all eating and laughing. It's strange. (_It's been over about 2 months since these humans have joined and already so much has happened_ Connor thought). Yet, here they are acting as if the fight or Nick's accident didn't even happen.

"Hey Connor, what took you so long? We've got training right after this." Jade said to him.

_(That's right. Millie and I are training to learn the Max Mana and Mana Flow)._ Nick is still taking private lessons from the former demon lords. Amy, Isa and Ian are now training with their new weapons.

"Well, Lily isn't here either too." Gunny said.

"I'm sorry about that but Lily's kinda not a morning person." Blake said sheepishly.

"You sound like you keep her busy at night. I didn't know you had it in you." Millie said giving him a thumbs up and a grin.

Blake turned bright red instantly. "IT"S NOT LIKE THAT! LILY'S JUST LAZY!" Blake shouted.

Lily came over to the table rubbing sleep out of her eyes and yawning. "Who's lazy Blake?" Lily asked groggily.

Blake turned even redder and ran off. "What was that all about?" Lily asked confused.

"We were talking about how lazy you and Connor are!" Heart said cheerfully.

"I overslept. Get over it." Connor said as he buttered a piece of toast.

"You don't always have to be such an ass you know." Isa said munching on an apple.

"Speak for yourself human." Connor said with a smirk.

"YOU WANNA GO ASSHOLE?" Isa shouted standing up angrily.

"Calm down Isa, we don't have to fight now. You can kick his ass later." Amy said with a smirk.

"Hmph." Connor said as he ate his breakfast.

"I don't like you." Isa said narrowing her eyes.

"The feeling is mutual. Let's get to training Jade." Connor said getting up. Jade sighed.

* * *

"Focus, it's not that hard." Jade said as Connor tried once again and failed to achieve Max Mana.

Connor collapsed onto the ground panting. "How did you all do this? You made it look easy." Connor said looking at Jade and Blake.

They shrugged. "We were always close to it but we never managed it. When Nick did that mana charge, I felt incredible. I think it pushed our mana to the point that we could find it." Blake said trying to remember.

"After that, it just comes naturally." Jade said as she demonstrated the mana altering technique.

Her mana pressure shot up and her body spark with the red Max Mana. Connor got to his feet. (_I'm getting even further behind him_ Connor thought). _I can't lose. I can't lose no matter what_.

"Let's try it again." Connor said getting up.

* * *

Millie was working with Dan and Gunny as she tried to learn how to use Mana Flow. Unlike Connor however, she was making much better progress.

"You're a natural girlie." Katie said with a grin.

"I always knew I was awesome." Millie said with a self satisfied smirk.

"How the hell can she better than me? I'm an original member of Team Valiant." Dan said annoyed.

"Well, you were always the weakest member." Gunny said casually.

"You bastard, I'm gonna so steal your underwear later." Dan said to him.

"I've set up traps in all off my dressers. Try it if you dare." Gunny said with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Fine, I guess I'll go steal Mandy's underwear then." Dan said with a grin.

Gunny turned bright red instantly. "If you attempt to steal Mandy's undergarments I'll use excessive force on your person!" Gunny shouted his face flushed.

"Oh, because you love her." Dan said enjoying this.

Gunny turned even redder and his head began steaming. "Malevolent Fellow!" Gunny shouted before he ran off.

Dan pulled out a small dictionary he always carried around. "You carry around a dictionary?" Millie asked in shock.

"I couldn't stand not knowing what he said after I teased him about Mandy. Let's see M, Malevolent." Dan said looking at the meaning.

* * *

_(Damn it, why can't I get any better?_ Connor thought to himself after training). _What's his secret? Are they just better than me? _

"Yo, what's happening? How's training going?" Millie asked him.

Connor remained silent. "That bad huh? Well, I'm doing pretty well. Mostly because I'm just naturally awesome." Millie said with a cocky grin.

"Millie, tell me. Why am I so much weaker than them?" Connor asked softly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Millie asked.

"Those humans have been here for about 2 months and they've gotten so much stronger. How do they do it?" Connor asked.

"Does it really matter? They're apart of our team ya know?" Millie asked.

"Of course, it matters. It's always been like this. I've always been weaker than everyone else." Connor said kicking a nearby rock.

"Come on, Connor. You're plenty strong. You wouldn't be in Valiant otherwise." Millie said with a smile.

"That's what I mean. No matter where I go, I'm always in the shadow of someone stronger. Here, it's that stupid human boy. Back home it was my- you know what forget it." Connor said standing up.

"Hey, sit back down. I'm not done talking to you." Millie said pushing him down by the shoulders.

"You know you're thinking exactly like Jade used to. And she ended up in a dark guild. You can't have this inferiority complex or it'll end up eating you up inside. No matter where you go, you're going to run into someone stronger than you. You want to know the difference between you and Nick right?" Millie asked with a smile.

Connor nodded. "I'll show you." Millie said.

"Huh?" Connor asked looking at her.

"You what to know why they're strong right? I'll show you." Millie said mentioning for him to follow her.

Connor got up and they ended up in front of the dojo. Amy, Isa, Ian and I were still training together.

"Come on, you can do it. Focus that power." I said to Isa who was trying to tame the Harbringer.'

Isa held onto the staff of the scythe and pushed her mana into it. The weapon began sparking with black electricity. Isa screamed with pain and she dropped the weapon. Meanwhile, Ian and Amy were struggling to get any kind of response out of their weapons.

"Let's go again." Ian said to me.

"Are you sure?" I asked him.

Ian had on the Ultimus. It was a pair of silver gloves that had a large gauge in the center of them and similarly designed shoes. Ian and I began exchanging blows. Ian drew back his fist putting his mana his hand.

"_Rising Dragon!" _Ian shouted trying to use the uppercut but nothing happened.

"They've been doing this every night since we beat Descent." Millie said to Connor.

Connor just watched in silence. "You understand now right? The reason someone like them is strong, isn't because they just are. When they met someone that's stronger than them, they don't mull over it, they work to improve themselves. To get even stronger" Millie said.

Connor watched us silently before walking off. "Where are you going?" Millie asked.

"I've got more work to do." Connor said as he walked off into the night.

_(You shouldn't doubt yourself Connor. You belong in Valiant_ Millie thought with a grin).

It was the next day and Connor was still trying to learn the Max Mana.

"You haven't complained all day. Are you feeling alright?" Jade asked with a smile.

"I've got more important things to do. I'm going to get stronger. Then I'm going to beat the shit out of Nick." Connor said as he began to get the hang of Max Mana.

"That's certainly an interesting goal." Blake said uncertainly.

"It's only because he's in love with my sister." Jade said airily.

Connor turned bright red and lost focus. "I DON"T LOVE HER!" Connor shouted.

* * *

**This was me trying out focusing the chapter on someone other than Nick for basically the whole thing. (It worked pretty well for Jade, so why not for Connor?) Poor Nick, had only one line the whole chapter though. Anyways, these next few chapters are going to be a lot more inwards like I've said and let me know what you all think! That's all I've got to say for now. Until next time, Later!**


	17. Mission 16 The Next Level

"It seems that your training is finally complete." Aki said to all of us.

We were all gathered in the dojo a week after our fight with Descent. "I can't wait to use this thing on Enigma." Isa said gleefully twirling around her jet black scythe Harbinger.

"Well, I can't wait to test out my new spells." Amy said with a sparkle in her eyes as she fiddled with her legacy Dragon Eye (a slim silver bracelet with a green gem in the middle).

Ian was silently playing with rocks while he was wearing his Ultimus gloves. "I challenge you to a fight Nick!" Connor said while pointing at me overdramatically.

"But, we're friends right? I don't fight my friends." I said confused.

"He means a spar." Millie said dryly.

"Oh, I can do that." I said with a smile.

"How about we make this interesting boys?" Millie asked with a grin.

"What the hell are you scheming woman?" Connor demanded.

"Who ever wins gets to take Yuki on a date" Millie said while pointing at Yuki.

The three of us all looked confused.

"Millie, you know that those two are romantically retarded." Amy whispered to her while pointing at Yuki and me.

"You're right they may be but I'm counting on someone else to make this interesting." Millie said slyly while looking at Connor.

Then Connor suddenly got a look of realization on his face. "I will win this no matter what." Connor said as he got a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Date? Why would I want to do something like that? Yuki and I both thought.

* * *

Everyone had moved out of the way for our spar. Connor had a confident grin on his face. "I'll show you how much I've improved! MAX MANA!" Connor said as his mana pressure skyrocketed.

Connor twirled his spear around and began jabbing at me. I ducked, bobbed and weaved each time nearly dodging the dangerous tip of his weapon. (_Whoa, he's completely serious. I wonder why though_ I thought as I barely dodged his follow up attack). Connor leaped into the air his spear sparking with electricity.

"_Lightening Spear!" _He shouted throwing the lightening infused spear.

I drew Excalibur and with a twist of my wrist deflected the attack upwards.

"_Met Sever!" _I shouted launching the purple slash.

Connor leaped backwards dodging the attack while catching his weapon in midair I dashed forwards but Connor blocked my attack. We both leaped back.

"You've gotten really good Connor." I said with a grin.

"Well, of course. I haven't been messing around this whole time." Connor said with a smirk.

Jezebel walked in with a tray of steaming hot goodness. "Does anyone want a cookie?" Jezebel said with a smile.

"Fight over." Connor and I both said while drooling.

Emily sighed. "Is is pathetic that the boys in our team would choose cookies over-hey!" Emily shouted noticing that Millie and Yuki had both gone over with hungry looks on their faces. (There's a lesson to be learned here folks. Cookies are better than dates.)

* * *

I went out to the courtyard after the guild fought over the cookies of awesomeness. I missed peaceful days like this I thought with a smile. Where I can just be with my friends and family. But, I know that they can't last long. Enigma is still out there hurting people. We have to defeat them to protect days like this.

"Yo, what's up leader boy?" Millie asked as she was munching on a cookie.

"Nothing much, just thinking I guess." I said as she sat down next to me.

Millie ,while still munching on her cookie, reached into her pocket and held out another cookie to me. "Thanks," I said taking the cookie with a smile.

"You know that you shouldn't think too hard. You'll destroy what little brain power you have." She said to me.

"Hey, Millie, I want you to be honest. Do you think we can beat Enigma?" I asked.

"No chance in hell." She said instantly.

I sighed. "But, we wouldn't be Valiant if we gave up without giving it a shot." Millie said with a grin.

"Yeah, I suppose so." I said with a smile.

"Come on, don't tell me our fearless leader is actually scared of a fight." Millie said with a smirk.

"Actually, I am." I said softly.

"What?" Millie asked in confusion.

"I'm always scared Millie. I was scared when I fought against the demon lords. I was scared when I fought against Surt. I was even scared when I fought against Descent just a few days ago." I said with a gentle smile.

"But, you're always running headlong in battle. You say all that stuff about never giving up." Millie said.

"That doesn't mean I'm not scared. But, if I let my fear control me, I would lose sight of what's really important. Protecting this world and you guys. Even if I'm scared of Enigma, I'm still going to fight them with everything I've got." I said with a grin.

Millie sighed. "You know it's not really cool to say you're scared. If Gina heard you, you'd probably lose major points. You're lucky you told me instead." She said getting up.

"But, I have to admit that was a pretty cool look you had on your face right now." Millie said with a grin as she walked away.

I smiled to myself. "Yeah, I guess so," I said.

No matter what how much I try to fool myself, you really do remind me of Casey I thought as I watched Millie walk away.

* * *

**Sorry that this chapter is really short guys but it is what it is. Anyways, there are two things I want to say. First, another chapter tomorrow (It's gonna be longer than this one) but this is probably gonna be the last double release for a while. School's starting up for me in a few weeks and I won't have as much time to write :(. Second, I uploaded a story on my FictionPress account that I might make a long running story like DDD so I'd appreciate it if you guys gave it a look! (Link in my profile!) It's about the polar opposite to DDD (It's more of a horror story). ****That's it for now. Until next time, Later.**


	18. Mission 17 Acceptance

"It has come to our attention that there might be a spy within Driven." Aki said to us.

Team Valiant, along with the Demon Lords and the Guardians where all gathered in the mission briefing room. "What!?" We all shouted.

"It seems that quite a few of our teams have all been ambushed by Enigma lately. There is no way they could be able to predict out movements this accurately without some kind of inside information." Hella said.

"Do you all have an idea who it could be?" Gunny asked.

"Not really. But, most of our guild have their suspicions." Jezebel said.

"Who are they suspicious of?" Amy asked.

"Probably me. I mean I did sort of attack them." I said sheepishly.

"It's not you Nick. It's Katie." Roan said.

We all looked at the cat lady. "Don't tell me ya'll think I did it?" Katie asked in shock.

"Of course not. Ian likes you so there's no way you can be a bad person." I said with a grin.

"Kitty's not a bad guy." Ian said in encouragement.

"Well, the guild doesn't seem to see it that way." Aki said.

"It's because Katie's a monster isn't it?" Connor asked knowingly.

"Unfortunately that might be the reason." Katie had an unreadable expression on her.

"Well, if ya'll want me ta leave then, Imma go." Katie said as she walked out of the room.

Ian stood up and looked at me. "Go after her bro. We'll find that spy guy for you. Then, you can kick his ass." I said with a grin.

Ian smiled and nodded. He ran after her.

"You said all that but you don't know where to start do you?" Yuki asked me.

I smiled sheepishly. "It's true I don't really know who it could be but I can figure it out." I said confidently.

"Do you have any ideas Gunny?" Jade asked him.

"I'm not all that sure. I have a few suspects in mind but nothing concrete. I'll have to go do some investigating." Gunny said putting on his goggles.

"How about we all split up into pairs and try to find some clues?" Lily suggested.

"Great idea. Alright, let's get this done." I said as we all paired up and walked off.

* * *

Ian was running around the guild desperately looking for Katie. Where'd she go he thought as he ran through the dinning hall.

"Have you seen Katie?" He asked a male member.

"The cat lady? Can't say I have." The man said.

Ian dashed of and kept asking people if they had seen Katie. Most of them simply didn't say they knew where she was. But, some of other members said things like. "So, the monster's gone huh?"

"Who cares where the monster went?"

"Isn't she the spy?" Ian however didn't bother answering them.

He just kept on running.

* * *

I was with Jade and we weren't having much luck. "No clues huh? This spy guy certainly doesn't want to get caught." Jade said. My mind was buzzing and trying to figure out who it could possibly be. Then it hit me like a flash of lightening. "I think I may have an idea. We should go find everyone else." I said. Jade nodded and we ran off towards the meeting area.

* * *

Ian was panting as he finally came across Katie. She was on top of the roof of the guild. It wasn't easy to get to since there's no roof access but Ian wasn't one of best martial artists in the Netherworld for nothing.

"Looks like ya found me kid." Katie said without even turning around.

Ian walked over to her and sat right next to her without a word. "Ya really are the strong silent type ain't ya?" Katie asked with a smile.

"Why did you leave?" Ian asked her.

"Cause I'm not wanted." Katie said simply.

"But you're my kitty. I want you." Ian said.

Katie laughed. "It's not that simple. The guild is right. No matter what I do, it doesn't change the fact that Imma monster class. It doesn't matter who I am and what I do. It just doesn't matter." Katie said softly.

"That's not fair." Ian said.

"I know but what can ya do? It took a long time for demons and monsters to even manage to coexist like this. It's not perfect but it sure beats going backta the way it was before." Katie said.

Ian fell silent and looked deep in thought. "It may not be fair but we would never treat you that way Kitty. You're one of the good guys." Ian said.

Katie looked at him and smiled. She ruffled his hair. "You know you're the greatest disciple I could ever have right?" She said.

Ian nodded and ruffled her hair too. "I like you too Kitty." Ian said with a smile.

* * *

"It's simple. If we find out who started the rumor about Katie, then we have our spy." I said.

"How do you purpose we do that?" Gunny asked.

I grinned. "I've got a plan. It's not perfect but if this spy is how I think he is, he'll fall for it. Or she if it's a girl." I said.

"That's very reassuring." Millie said dryly.

Ian and Katie both walked back inside. "Alright, looks like Ian managed to convince you to come back." Isa said with a grin.

"I couldn't abandon my cute little student now could I?" Katie said grinning while pinching Ian's cheeks.

Ian looked annoyed as he pushed her away.

"Katie, we have a plan that might help us catch the real spy but I need your help." I said.

"Whatever, you say kid." Katie said.

"Sweet," I said as I handcuffed Katie.

"Nick! Kitty's a good guy!" Ian protested.

"I know little bro, trust me, I have a plan." I said with a confident smile.

* * *

We called the entire guild out and we led Katie out in front of them. They all booed at Katie.

"We have caught the spy." I said to the guild.

"I knew it."

"Of course, it was the monster."

"What a horrible creature." Ian looked at Katie's face. She gave him a reassuring smile. But he knew that the words still stung.

"Now, I wanted to know who was the one who gave us the tip about Katie. We have a reward for such a outstanding member." Yuki said.

A man walked over to middle of the hall with a grin on his face. "I knew it was that disgusting monster from the getgo." The man said glaring at Katie.

"Do you have any concrete proof?" Gunny asked.

"Monsters have attacked and killed thousands of demons over the years. That's proof enough." The man said.

"That doesn't seem to be real proof." Amy said.

"Come on, you know it's true. We should kill her right here and now before she hurts someone else!" The man shouted.

"You know, I hate people like you." I said with a grin.

The man looked shocked.

"You have no sense of honor and mindlessly judge people. Just to save your own neck you're willing to let someone else die. A pathetic asshole like you should rot in jail but here you are apart of our guild." I said looking at the man still maintaining my grin but everyone else could see that there was no friendliness about it.

The man looked a little scared. "Wha-what the hell are you talking about? I'm not the spy. She is!" The man said pointing at Katie looking clearly panicked.

"Ian, kick his ass before I do." I said with a smile.

"What the-" The man said as Ian rushed towards him his fist on fire.

"_Rising Dragon!" _Ian said hitting the man with the flaming uppercut and knocked him straight on his back.

Jade undid Katie's handcuffs. "Sorry about that." Jade said.

"It's fine. We managed to catch the prick didn't we?" Katie asked rubbing her wrists.

The entire guild looked shocked. "What is going on?" One person shouted.

"This guy here is your spy. Katie's completely innocent." I said pointing at the unconscious demon.

The guild looked confused and shaken. The began muttering amongst themselves.

"Why are you all so mean to Kitty? She's a good guy!" Ian shouted.

The guild shut up and we all looking at Ian stunned. He rarely speaks but he never shouts. Unless he's really upset I thought.

"Listen up people. I will not tolerate this type of behavior in our guild. Katie is a member of Driven whether you like it or not. If you have any doubts about our judgment, leave now and don't bother coming back." Yuki said with a cold stare.

The guild became silent. "That's all. Continue your business." Yuki said dismissing them.

The members began going back to what they were doing before. "Ya'll don't haveta go so far for me." Katie said.

"It's fine Katie. I don't want people who think like that in our guild anyway." Yuki said.

"I told you Kitty. We would never treat you like a bad guy." Ian said with a smile.

"Ya know I really do hope y'all can defeat Enigma. The rest of the Netherworld could use kids like you." Katie said with a grin.

* * *

**Note: Ian's nickname for Katie is Kitty since they sound similar he calls her that. Fair warning, you should never get between a boy and his cat :P. Anyways, next chapter has some interesting developments in the romance department but I'm guessing you all won't be able to tell what's going to happen ;). That's it for now. Until next time, Later!**


	19. Mission 18 Admit It!

"Argh this pisses me off so much." Amy said to us one day.

"Huh? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Look at those two." Amy said pointing at Dan and Emily who were a little further away.

Emily was busy talking to a boy and Dan was nearby pretending not to care. "They totally love each other but they won't admit it!" Amy said looking clearly frustrated.

"If they didn't admit it in 200 years, it doesn't look like they are ever going to." Millie said.

"Maybe, we can get them to admit it." Isa said with a grin on her face.

"What are you planning woman?" Connor asked her.

"Easy, the quickest way for us to force them to admit their feelings is if we get someone to chase after Emily." Isa said with a proud look on her face.

"Who are we gonna get to do that?" Jade said.

The girls looked at us boys. "Connor's an asshole, so he's out." Isa said.

"Hey!" Connor exclaimed looking annoyed.

"Gunny's too calm and calculated so~ he's out too." Amy said.

"I had not intention of joining this anyway." Gunny said with a shrug.

"Blake is too boring so he's out too." Jade said. Blake looked as if he was close to tears. "And Nick, is well…Nick." Millie said.

"I still don't understand what's going on. What won't Dan and Emily admit too?" I asked confused.

"This is hopeless. We can't do this." Amy said.

"Wait, I have an idea. Nick, I want you to go on a date with Emily." Yuki said.

"Why?" I asked.

"You're just going to act like a prince charming." Yuki said.

"Oh, so it's like a game. Cool, I'll do it. I just have to act like a prince right?" I asked running off to go get ready.

"Do you even think that this would work?" Blake asked Yuki.

I came back looking completely different. My normally messy black hair was combed straight and I was wearing a fancy suit that I borrowed from Bruce. "Wasn't he gone like one minute?" Amy asked in surprise.

"Where the hell did he get that suit? I didn't know we had suits." Connor asked confused.

"Is he wearing a clip on tie?" Blake asked while squinting to get a better look.

I went over to Emily who looked at me confused. "May I have the honor of taking you out this evening?" I asked bending down to one knee and taking her hand.

Both Emily and Dan looked stunned in shock.

"This is so going to work." Isa said with a grin.

* * *

Emily agreed but mostly out of surprise._ (What the hell is going through that guy's hea_d Emily thought as she got ready for the date.) _He was acting totally different. This has got to be some sort of plan of his. Maybe he knows where an Enigma member is? No, then he wouldn't just bring me. He'd take at least 2 other people. Maybe it's some sort of distraction to the get the guy off guard?_ Emily shook her head. Damn it, I can't think of any reason other than he just wants to take me on a date. Emily went out of her room and towards the front entrance of the guild. I was waiting for her. I looked at Emily who was wearing (instead of her usual black uniform) a simple white dress with matching shoes.

"You look really pretty." I said with a grin.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself." Emily said with a smile.

Damn it, I have to be prince charming not me. What would prince charming do?

"Then, shall we go?" I asked holding out my arm.

"Let's go then." Emily said taking it.

* * *

We walked towards our first destination in Arcane which was the demon theater. If I was back at earth, it would have been movie instead, but this will have to do I thought. Meanwhile, we were being followed by two masters of stealth. Well, one master of stealth and one giant prev. (_What the hell is Nick__doing ?_ Dan thought). _I thought he liked Gina or at least Yuki. Why is he trying to date Emily? There has to be some sort of catch._ "It looks like things are going well. I never knew Nick had this in him." Millie said with a grin. She leaped gracefully from rooftop to rooftop while Dan sort of fell threw windows. The performance was by the Demon Academy Players, and it's about a overlord who lost his evil ways but manages to find them again after killing his demon lords. It was inspired by the very true story of my life. Needless to say, it was a bit of a reinterpretation of it.

"I guess they didn't really know what happened." Emily said trying to cheer me up.

"I'm not ten feet tall or breathe fire. I'm not scary right Emily?" I asked sitting on the ground while drawing circles with my fingers looking upset.

"Of course not. How about we get some dinner?" Emily said rubbing me on my back.

I brightened up. "Cool, I'm super hungry." I said grabbing her by the arm and running off. Wait, I forgot to be prince charming again. This time I'll charm the pants right off her! (Note: Nick is an idiot so he doesn't mean anything sexual. I don't even know if he knows what sex is.)

* * *

Millie and Dan were still watching from the shadows as we ordered our food. "Why did you ask me on this date Nick?" Emily asked.

I chewed on my food thoughtfully.

"I dunno I just felt like it." I said not looking her in the eyes.

"You're a horrible liar. Tell me the truth." Emily demanded.

"You know I never understood why Netherworldian food looks so weird but tastes so good." I said as I stabbed the purple thing on my plate that was pulsating.

"Don't change the subject." Emily said trying to look me in the eye.

"Is there someone else you'd rather date?" I asked her.

Emily turned red. "O-Of course not. All the boys at our guild are lame anyway." Emily blurted out quickly.

"I never said anything about the guild." I said.

Emily turned even redder and took a bite of her purple thing. Suddenly, she started to turned purple herself. I looked at her and tried hard not to laugh.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked looking concerned.

"You ate the ink sac by accident. Don't worry, your face will become normal in an hour or so." I said while chewing on my food.

"What?" Emily said pulling out a mirror and looked at her purple face.

She calmly put away her mirror. "Are you going to hurt me?" I asked looking at her trying to keep calm.

Emily glared at me. "As long as you don't say anything." Emily said going back to her dinner.

I bit my tongue and went back to my dinner but I couldn't help myself.

"Whatever you say purple nurple." I blurted out. Emily threw her plate at me.

* * *

We both left the restaurant purple faced. Well, I failed as a prince charming. I sighed. "This was the worst date ever." I said.

"It's fine. I've been on worse." Emily said trying to reassure me.

"Really?" I asked brightening up.

"Not really." Emily said with a sheepish smile.

"Well, do we go home now?" Emily asked.

"Oh wait, I had one more thing to show you. It was pretty expensive but I think it's gonna be worth it." I said pulling out a small pair of white wings.

"Angel Wings? Are you going to fly, and write me a message in the sky?" Emily said dryly.

I put them on my back and picked up Emily bridal style. "What are you doing?" Emily asked her face red in shock.

"Going up." I said with a grin as the wings on my back became larger and I took off into the night sky. What the hell is he planning Millie and Dan both thought.

* * *

We flew high into the sky feeling the cool night air in our faces.

"This is amazing!" Emily said looking down at the tiny buildings

"Just wait till you see this." I said flying above the clouds.

Emily looked down at the layer of clouds below us and put her hand through it. "Look over there." I said mentioning in front of us.

Above the clouds, we both had a clear view of the two moons of Netherworld which were both full that night. "It may not have been a great date but I wanted to show you this. It's super beautiful huh?" I asked marveling at the sight.

"It's incredible. Thank you." Emily said with a smile.

"No problem. Going down." I said plunging down into the clouds once again.

* * *

We landed on the ground outside the guild safely, and my wings evaporated as they ran out of magic. I put Emily down.

"Well, I have to admit, it was fun." Emily said smiling.

"I had fun too." I said grinning.

Wait, I still have a chance to do the prince charming thing. It's totally the time to kiss her!

"Okay, I'm going to kiss you now Emily." I said leaning forwards.

"Alright then-Wait, what!?" Emily asked turning red with shock.

"Stop!" We heard someone yell. Dan jumped down from a nearby ceiling.

"Huh? Dan? Where did you come from?" Emily asked.

"I was watching your date to make sure he didn't take advantage of you." Dan said looking at me.

"But, I'm supposed to kiss someone right now. Can I kiss you Dan?" I asked him.

Dan looked shocked.

"Are you nuts?! Why the hell would I kiss you?!" Dan roared.

I rubbed my chin. "Hey, Millie. Can I kiss you?" I shouted up to Millie who was on the rooftops.

"So, you knew I was there?" Millie asked while jumping down.

"It was pretty obvious you two were following us." I said with a shrug.

"Anyways, about the kiss.." "No way." Millie said shooting me down.

"Aw, you guys are mean. Now, I can't do the prince charming thing." I said pouting. "What the hell is he talking about?" Emily asked.

"We put him up to this. We just wanted Dan and you to admit you liked each other." Millie said.

"WE DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER!" They both shouted while turning red.

"I mean he's a pervert!" Emily said pointing at him.

"And she's flat chested." Dan said pointing right back.

"Pervert!" "Boobless!" "Pervert!" "Boobless!" They began shouting back and forth. Millie sighed and walked away. I walked after her.

"So, you had fun going on your date huh?" Millie asked.

I nodded. "Maybe we should go on one too." Millie said thoughtfully

"No thanks. I fell in love with someone like you a long time ago Millie. I have no intention of doing it again." I said with a grin.

Wait, is he talking about that Casey person? Exactly what happened between them Millie thought as she watched me enter the guild.

* * *

**First off a really big thanks to Argon1337 for beta reading for me. Seriously, you don't know how much of a help you've been man. As for the chapter it's self, Nick would have kissed Dan if he said yes. Nick is kinda crazy like that... Anyways, that's it for now. So until next time, Later!**


	20. Mission 19 A New Arrival

I was fast asleep when I felt a disturbing mana pressure. A chill ran my spine as I sat upright. It's strong and it's not anyone in Valiant or one of the Trainers. It's defiantly not Surt. Could Enigma be attacking? I jumped out of my bed and quickly put on some pants and grabbed Excalibur. I rushed down the hall and took the stairs in one bound. I leaped out in the dinning hall and saw that Connor was speaking to a girl I've never seen before. Her hair was all black one side and all blonde on the other. She had a spear on her back and when she looked at me and saw her bright purple eyes, I knew instantly who she was.

"You must be Connor's sister. Or mom. If you're his mom, you look really young." I said with a grin.

"Moron, she's my older sister Claire." Connor said with an even more sour expression his face than usual.

"Oh cool. Are you here to join Driven?" I asked her.

"I'm here to bring my brother back home." She said.

* * *

"What are you talking about? Connor's one of our best fighters. He can't just leave. We need him." I said.

"Well, I don't want my brother to fight a losing battle. You can't defeat Enigma." Claire said looking at me intently.

"We can so beat them. We've gotten like super badass." Isa shouted.

"Can you guarantee that you can beat them?" Claire shot back.

"Nothing is a guarantee." Gunny said simply.

"Connor, let's go." Claire said.

Connor opened his mouth as if about to say something but he stopped and followed her. "Connor, do you want to go?" Yuki asked him.

"Of course not." He said.

"Then stay, you don't have to leave." Yuki said.

Connor stopped in his tracks. "Connor, what are you doing? I told you, we're leaving." Claire said.

"You can't force him to do what he doesn't want to." Yuki said.

"Who the hell are you?" Claire asked glaring at her.

"I'm his trainer." Yuki said glaring right back.

The rest of watched the sparks flew. "So scary." Connor and I both muttered.

"Hey, didn't you used to be like that with Yuki?" Ayan asked Millie.

"Yeah, but then Yuki stopped being a bitch so we're cool now." Millie said with a grin.

Millie walked up to the girls with a sly grin on her face. "Dear god, she's planning something." Connor said.

"Ladies, ladies. This isn't the way to handle things. Why don't you settle things with a friendly spar?" Millie suggested with a bright smile.

"Fine," They both said still glaring at each other.

"What the hell are you doing? Claire's pretty strong." Connor whispered.

"I'm giving you a hand. The girl of your dreams is fighting over you." Millie whispered back.

Connor got a look of realization on his face. "Have I ever told you how awesome you are?" Connor said.

"Damn straight I'm awesome." Millie said.

"Is this really necessary? Can't we just talk about this?" I asked.

"No," Claire, Yuki and Connor all said. I sighed.

* * *

We all went back to the courtyard to watch the fight. Quite a few guild members came over to see the fight. Well, Yuki was the guild leader so it makes sense that they'd want to see her in action. Yuki and Claire both looked dead serious as they took their places.

"Anything goes. Just don't kill each other. That would be troublesome." Aki said standing between them.

"No promises," They both said turning away from each other. Aki sighed and walked to the side. I looked at both of them and tried to gauge their skills against each other. Both their mana pressures jumped dramatically and I knew that this wasn't going to be an easy fight.

"They're both pretty equally matched power wise but I'm not so sure about their skill." Gunny said his eyes hidden behind his goggles.

Claire drew her spear and Yuki drew her sword. Yuki rushed forward her body blazing with the red power of Max Mana.

"_Blade Rush!" _Yuki shouted dashing forwards sword first.

Claire twirled her spear around and met her firmly, blocking the attack. She pushed Yuki backwards and stepped forwards herself, her spear sparking with electricity.

"_Jolt Javelin," _Claire said thrusting her spear straight at Yuki.

Yuki brought up her sword to defend her self but the force of the blow sent her skidding backwards. Yuki however didn't slow down. She used her backwards momentum to somersault backwards while charging her sword with mana in one smooth motion.

"_Winged Slayer!" _Yuki shouted launching the wing shaped slash at Claire.

Claire leaped forwards and the attack exploded harmlessly behind her. Claire dashed forwards once again and leaped into the air.

"_Spear Storm!" _She shouted throwing dozens of magically created spears at Yuki.

Yuki movements were sharp as she effortlessly weaved in between the spears until she was directly underneath Claire. She began circling Claire, her body becoming a blur as she moved faster and faster causing a small cyclone.

"_Hurricane Slash!" _Yuki shouted as she began slashing at Claire who was in the center of the cyclone.

But Claire managed to block every single attack and when the cyclone dissipated, she was unharmed.

"Damn it, she's good. Yuki hasn't managed a single attack this whole time. Also, Connor is your sister dating anyone by any chance?" Dan asked Connor with a grin on his face.

Emily and Connor promptly smacked him. "It really isn't looking good for Yuki," Lily said.

"I'll admit it, Claire really talented and has the skill to back it up. But, Yuki's got the advantage. Claire's never had a chance." I explained to the rest of the team.

Claire rushed forwards her spear glowing red. "_Impaler!" _She shouted thrusting forwards once again.

Yuki brought up her sword to block it but it was sent up in the air. "It's over!" Claire shouted thrusting forwards again.

Yuki smiled and she leaped backwards avoiding the attack. Yuki, without missing a beat, rushed forwards her sword still in the air.

"Claire's about to the discover that experience trumps talent any day." I said.

The Katsuki began to spark with red mana in midair. Yuki rushed forwards and reached out to her sword. It flew down into her hand. Using the momentum of the blade, Yuki twisted herself around and brought the glowing sword forwards.

"_Skyward Sword!" _Yuki shouted slashing Claire with the glowing blade.

The attack hit Claire dead on and sent her flying backwards until she crashed into a wall. I knew that Yuki was going to win but Claire was much stronger than I guessed. In a little time and with the right training, she could defiantly become an incredible fighter I thought. I walked over to Yuki.

"I don't usually support this kind of stuff but that was pretty awesome." I whispered to her.

Yuki smiled. "I'm glad you think so." She whispered back.

We did our secret warrior handshake of honor (It's just a fist bump but Yuki named it so go figure). Connor walked over to his sister.

"I lost. This is what you wanted to see right Connor?" Claire said with a bitter smile.

"I didn't want you to lose but I don't want to leave even more. These people have been more of a family to me then you have so I'm not going to leave them. Even if fighting Enigma isn't exactly a smart thing to do, I'm still going to go through with it." Connor told his sister.

The anger on Claire's face faded away as she noticed that her brother had finally grown up into the warrior he was always meant to become.

"So, you love that girl huh?" Claire asked mentioning towards Yuki.

Connor turned bright red but he didn't say anything. Claire got to her feet.

"Are they all as strong as her?" Claire asked looking at the rest of Team Valiant.

"If anyone has the power to defeat Enigma, it's them." Connor said simply.

Claire didn't reply but she picked up her spear. "Take care of my little brother." Claire said to Yuki.

Yuki nodded. "I will." She said.

Claire waved without looking behind her as she walked out of the guild. "I'll be counting on you for when the final battle comes, Claire." I said to her.

Claire stopped but she kept going. "Do you think she will actually come back?" Yuki asked me.

I nodded. "And when she does, she'll be able to beat you and me." I said to Yuki with a grin.

* * *

**Big thanks once again to Argon1337 for beta reading for me. You guys might have already guessed this but school has started for me. I will try my best to put out a chapter every week but don't be surprised if it's late or I just have to delay it. Two chapters till the end of this volume and they're going to be a bit longer than the last few ones. Until next time, Later!**


	21. Mission 20 Against All Odds

It was a bright sunny morning at the guild and Blake was waiting for Lily to wake up.

"Come on Lily, it's time for training." Blake said knocking on the door yet again.

"Urh, five more minutes." Blake heard someone mumble.

Blake knocked on the door harder. "Seriously, we need to get moving. You can sleep later." He shouted.

The door swung open and a sleepy eyed Lily was standing there in her PJs which were a white long sleeve and pink sweatpants. Blake took a look at her bed head and her annoyed face and backed away.

"Whatcha want Blake?" Lily slurred as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"I told you. We have training to get to. " Blake replied.

Lily simply looked at him and slammed the door shut. Blake sighed. Every morning for the past five hundred years, it's the exact same routine.

"I'll make you my special waffles." Blake whispered into the door.

Lily stepped out of the door fresh as a daisy all dressed up with a bright smile. "Why the hell didn't you say so?" Lily said grabbing Blake by the wrist and dragging him off.

* * *

The entire team was gathered at the dinning hall and were all shoveling Blake's waffles down our throats.

"So…Freaking…GOOD!" Dan and Isa both cried out with syrup covering their mouths.

Blake had a smug look on his face as he stood there in his blue apron with a whisk in his hands.

"Teach me the ways of the stove Blake sensei." Amy said her eyes wide in admiration.

"You're actually good for something, who would have guessed?" Jade said with a smirk.

Blake glared at her. "Well, my dream was to open up my own breakfast restaurant. I'd call it IHOB." Blake said with a far away look on his face.

"That's totally awesome! Man, I wish I was good at something." I said while eating my waffles.

The entire team looked at me. "What?" I asked in confusion.

"Shut up and eat your waffles." Yuki said shoving a waffle in my mouth.

Blake then looked at Lily with a grin. "And Lily would be the hottest waitress obviously."

Lily threw her syrup bottle at him while eating her waffles in her other hand. "And he's back to being lame. Well, that didn't last long." Jade sighed.

"Can I be a hot waitress too Blake?" Heart asked raising her hand.

"Of course, you're all welcome to be hot waitresses." Blake said smiling.

"I'll pass," Emily said.

"I think I will too," Amy said.

"I'd look bad in a dress," Connor said simply.

"How do you know that?" Dan asked him.

Connor didn't reply.

"I'll do it if Mandy does it," Isa said pointing at her. Mandy turned red at the thought.

"Hmm, maybe I'd look good in a dress. What do you think Gunny?" I asked him.

"I refuse to answer. People are questioning our sexuality enough as it is." Gunny replied.

"You could be a cook Amy if you want instead. It'd be so cool if we could actually do it. But, we can't. We have to fight and stuff. " Blake sighed.

"Hey, Blake, when this is all over, how about we open up that restaurant?" Lily asked.

Blake brightened up. "Really?!" He exclaimed.

Lily nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I mean, you've always been talking about it. How about we finally just do it?"

I jumped to my feet suddenly. "How about we all do it together? It would be so much fun."

The team looked at each other. "Well, I could use a break from fighting." Yuki said thoughtfully.

"My waffles aren't bad, and I do make a killer omelet." Amy said.

"I do like waffles." Ian said.

"Hmm, the food industry is relatively financially stable." Gunny said writing down numbers.

"We could steal shit on the side." Dan said to Millie.

Millie shrugged and grinned. "Why the hell not? Let's run a breakfast joint together."

It was then written that that strongest team in the history of the Netherworld decided to run a waffle house.

* * *

"Blake, you have been, how do you mortals say, spacing out all day." The Reaper said looking at Blake.

After breakfest, the team split up to go continue their training. Blake, along with Jade, Yuki and Isa were training to further strengthen their control over Max Mana. Blake had a stupid grin plastered to his face and didn't respond. Jade walked over to him, and kicked him in the shin.

"OW!" Blake cried as he hopped around on one foot while holding his injured shin.

Blake glared at Jade who simply mimicked his stupid grin. "Aw, I wanted to do that." Isa pouted.

The Reaper crossed his flippers across his chest. "Explain yourself mortal. Or would you rather face my normal form?"

Blake turned white at the thought. "I-It's nothing really. W-We all just decided to open a waffle house."

A perplexed look came across Reaper's face. "Waffles?" He echoed.

The group looked at each other. "Waffles are a type of breakfast food." Yuki explained.

"I'm well aware of that. I'm still confused as to why this would make Blake happy." Reaper replied.

"Oh, he makes good waffles so he's wanted to open one up." Isa said pointing at Blake.

"It's my dream." Blake added helpfully.

Reaper looked at Blake with an unreadable expression. "I will never understand you mortals and your obsession with food." Reaper proclaimed.

The Reaper waved a flipper to signal them to continue to train. The rest of team walked in (minus Nick, Millie and Connor).

"What the hell are you guys doing here? Don't you have training to do?" Isa asked.

Gunny sighed. "We were at first but then Katie decided to spend the rest of the time chasing Ian around while trying to pinch his cheeks."

Dan looked as if he was fighting to hold back laughter. "As for us, our teacher's a perv, and Katie has big boobs." Emily shrugged.

Blake looked around. "Where's Amy? She's not here."

Heart raised her hand and began jumping up and down as if she had to pee. Jade got an amused look on her face. " Heart, you do know you don't have to raise your hand every time you want to say something?"

Heart nodded with a smile but continued to raise her hand and jumped up and down. Blake sighed and pointed at her. "Yes, Heart?" Blake asked.

"Amy thought it was adorable so she went to go take pictures with Dan's Naked Lady camera." Heart said triumphantly.

"Do I even want to know what Dan's Naked Lady Camera is?" Blake asked while rubbing his head.

"You don't want to know," Amy, Isa, Emily and Jade all said in unison.

Suddenly. an alarm sounded throughout the guild. "Enigma's on the move." Yuki said.

* * *

The entirety of Team Valiant had gathered with the Trainers in the meeting room. "Where are they attacking, and how many?" I asked cutting to the chase.

"Terel." Aki said. Both Blake and Lily got dark expressions on their faces.

Terel was where they grew up, and they stayed there even though it was dangerous I thought. Isa slammed her hands down on the table in frustration. "Haven't they destroyed enough of Terel? Why are they doing this?"

Aki looked at all our angry faces. "I know how much Terel means to you all. It's where I lived as well but we can not let our emotions rule us."

We all muttered agreements. "How many are there?" Gunny asked.

Jezebel focused her mana and her eyes turned blue. "I'm picking up 20 different mana pressures but I'm too far away too tell how strong they all are." Jezebel told us.

_ She's able to read mana pressure from that distance. She's not a powerful witch for nothing_ I thought to myself.

"We can handle this then." Blake said.

"Shouldn't we send some other guild members with you all?" Hella asked.

"There's 15 of us and 20 of them. I think we'll be fine." Lily said.

"Nick? How do you feel about this?" Gunny asked me.

I grinned. "Blake and Lily are right. It doesn't seem like something we can't handle."

But there was something that was bugging me. I couldn't exactly place it but there was something slightly off about this. I shook the thoughts out of my head. We have to do this no matter how weird it seems. Terel is our home.

"Alright, if you all really want to to do this, we aren't going to get in your way." Roan said.

"It's probably going to take you all three days to get there." Aki said.

"Gunny, how fast can we get there if Heart and I use Omega Accel?" I asked.

Gunny pulled on his goggles and I could see his eyes flashing behind them. "3 hours," He replied while pulling off his goggles.

"You two will be pretty drained by the time we get there," Yuki pointed out.

"It's fine, Heart and I may not be able to fight right away but we need to get there fast." I said while changing into my Paladin Class.

I nodded at Heart and she nodded back. I raised my sword in the air and Heart raised her staff.

"_Omega Accel!" _We both shouted buffing the entire team.

Bright yellow auras surrounded our feet. In a flash, we were gone.

* * *

We arrived at Terel, and it was even emptier than it was when we first got here over two months ago. Many buildings were still standing but they had massive chunks blown off them. Both Blake and Lily walked around the town, their faces torn between anger and sadness.

"It looks like our guests of honor have arrived." I heard someone say behind us.

Standing in what used to be the town center, were a group of demons. I quickly scanned their mana pressure but it wasn't anything to worry about. This group was strong but they were leagues behind someone like Surt or Joel. Instead of making me feel better, that made me even more anxious. Why would Enigma do something like this now? I don't get it.

"So, you're the ones terrorizing our town?' Blake asked looking at the group intently.

"More like destroying." Another demon replied with a smirk.

"Permission to engage the enemy?" Yuki asked drawing her sword and holding it at the ready.

"You don't have to ask. Team Valiant, it's time to kick some ass!" I shouted.

"Right!" Everyone else shouted as they all dashed off in different directions.

* * *

The ranged fighters began blasting at us but they didn't stand a chance. The speed boost from Omega Accel hadn't run out. Gunny and Mandy raised their weapons in unison.

"_Cross Cannon!" _They shouted as they fired two blasts that merged into one purple beam.

The blast hit dead on causing the ranged fighters to scatter.

"Dan! Millie! BRING EM BACK!" I shouted while Heart and I raised our weapons in unison.

_"Braveheart!" _We shouted buffing them.

Dan and Millie both smirked. "If you insist." They both said dashing in opposite directions.

They began circling the group forcing them to gather in the center. They then suddenly stopped and began charging mana into their daggers. They dashed straight through the group slashing numerous times at speeds invisible to the normal eye. They stopped at each others initial positions

"_Rogue Rush!" _They shouted as the hundreds of slashes hit the group.

Isa and Jade were clashing with two fighters each. Jade was dodging their slashes, and attacking in the smooth style of the Kitamura clan. While Isa, who never really bothered learning the Kitamura style, was just attacking in her own furious style.

"Let's take these bastards down Jade!" Isa shouted.

Jade nodded. They both took a step back to charge their swords with mana. Then they dashed forwards side by side.

"_Blade Cross!" _They both shouted going through them and forming an X shaped slash.

The demons fell over defeated. Ian was bobbing and weaving as he dodged the blows of a particularly large demon. Ian blocked the man's punches and hit him with a few of his own. But the man didn't look all that affected. Idiris charged his fist with fiery mana.

"_Rising Dragon!" _He shouted hitting the demon with a fiery uppercut shaped like a Dragon.

The demon was sent flying backwards straight into a building causing it to come crumpling down on top of him. Amy and Emily were exchanging blasts at a pair of mages.

"Emily, let's finish this." Amy asked creating a ball of wind magic while holding out her hand.

Emily smirked. "About damn time." She replied forming the ball of star magic.

Amy forced the two balls of energy downwards into one and they began to spark wildly. Amy dashed forwards right by one of the mages who turned towards Emily a little too late. Emily had begun charging her mana into her finger tip.

"_Railgun!" _She shouted blasting a concerted stream of star magic out at the mage.

Amy leaped up and pushed the ball into the other mage. "_Lightening Blade!" _Amy shouted as the attack exploded with force.

"Lily, Blake, we're counting on you two to finish it." I shouted at them.

They were facing off with the leader of the group who was a bit stronger than the rest.

"Are you ready Lily?" Blake asked her.

She nodded with a grin. "Relax, and let's kick some ass."

Blake smiled and dashed forwards clashing with the demon. Owen (I'm calling the leader that so I don't have to keep calling him leader or demon) pushed Blake backwards. Blake leaped to the side and Lily was waiting with a charged gun.

"_Pulse Cannon!" _Lily shouted blasting a massive blue beam at Owen.

Owen raised his sword to block the blast but he ended up skidding backwards. Blake rushed forwards hitting Owen with rapid strikes and sent him flying upwards.

"Lily!" Blake shouted.

Lily focused on her man, pushed her gun into the ground and pulled the trigger. Large spikes made of rock surrounded Owen and Blake. Blake leaped from spike to spike slashing Owen as he did. Blake reached the top of the spike formation and gathered all the rocks into his axe causing it to grow enormous.

"_Tera Smash!" _Blake shouted while swinging the giant downwards into Owen and smashed him into the ground.

Owen was done for. Blake landed on the ground with a breath of relief.

"That was freaking awesome!" Isa and I both shouted in excitement.

Jade put her sword onto her shoulder. "You managed to do two cool things in a day. It's a new record." Jade said with a grin.

Blake glared at her. "I guess we're done here." Amy said looking around at the destruction.

Suddenly, I felt a massive spike of mana. "I knew it, this wasn't just some small scale operation was it?." I asked Owen.

He smirked. "You fell for it. I can't believe you all fell for it!" He said laughing manically.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me! This was a trap?" Dan shouted.

"I can feel a lot of mana pressure but I can't tell how many there are." Amy said.

"I can feel at least 1000 different mana pressures." I said simply.

The team fell silent as they digested the thought. I looked at each of the entrances of the town and they were full of demons. They were slowly surrounding us.

"What do we do?" Yuki asked me.

My mind was running at full speed as I began simulating different ways the battle could turn out. This isn't good. If I can't figure out a way for us to beat them we're toast. Even though I was thinking of the battle, I couldn't help but think that who ever was commanding Enigma was a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

**Sorry, this was so late. But...school. Anyways, thanks again to Argon1337 for beta reading for me. Well, in case you guys didn't guess already, I'm been pretty busy. I'm even starting a part time job on the weekends soon. But, I promise you all this. At the very minimum, there will be a chapter a month but most likely there'll be around two. Well, that's all for now. Until next time, Later!  
**


	22. Mission 21 Against All Odds Part 2

"What do we do?" Yuki's question rang inside my head as I searched frantically for an answer.

Each one of us is definitely stronger than them when you think about individual skill but that's not the problem. We're outnumbered and they'll overwhelm us with those numbers.

"Nick?" Amy asked quizzically. I looked at her and everyone else.

"You don't have an answer do you?" Gunny asked me knowingly.

I smiled bitterly and nodded. "Come on, there has to be a way to do this." Isa insisted.

"I thought of dozens of different strategies but they all still have a big chance of failure. Most of us will end up severely injured if not dead." I replied.

"Well, then, do your best move. Don't worry about us." Millie said with a grin.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. I took in a deep breath. "Alright then, we'll divide and conquer. Don't hold back and aim for large groups with your bigger attacks. Gunny, Amy and Jade are a team. Blake, Lily and Dan are a team. Connor, Millie and Ian are a team. Yuki, Mandy and Isa are a team. Heart, Emily and I are a team." I explained.

"Why the hell is Emily on your team? You're trying to perv off of her." Dan said while squinting his eyes in suspicion.

"Like you should talk." Isa said rolling her eyes.

"He's just jealous." Amy shrugged. Dan turned red.

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" He shouted.

I began to smile. "He's finally cracked." Jade said.

"I'm just relieved I guess. I remembered why I bother fighting in the first place. Alright, you guys ready?" I asked them as I began to focus on the task ahead.

They all nodded determination written on each and every one of their faces. "Team Valiant, it's time to kick some ass!" I shouted as we all dashed into our position.

We all spread out and I decided to stick to Paladin. I'll help out the team a lot more this way I thought. Emily looked at the the massive army. "They've completely cut us off."

I nodded. "Good, we'll lead them all to the center and blow them to hell." I said charging my mana.

* * *

Dan and Millie had split off and used their speed to their advantage. They dodged the blasts from the mages and gunners. They came to an intersection and both took off in opposite directions. Connor, Blake, Ian and Lily moved out from their hiding spots. The group realized too late. Connor and Blake's bodies began sparking with the red Max mana.

_"Jolt Javelin!" "Colossal Fissure!"_ They hit the group hard knocking them into the air. Lily pointed her gun downwards and pulled the trigger.

_"Gaia Break!"_ Lily shouted as massive spires came out from the ground.

Ian jumped from spire to spire until he was at the very top. I looked at my brother and focused my mana.

_"Braveheart!"_ I shouted buffing him.

Ian gathered a large ball of pure mana that was bright yellow and drew his hand back.

_"Big Bang!"_ He shouted blasting the entire group downwards.

But before the team could even catch their breath, they were being bombarded by attacks.

"GIRLS, WE NEED SOME DEFENSE!" I hollered.

Emily, Amy and Heart all raised their staves in unison.

_"TRIPLE WALL!"_ The three of them all shouted.

The three walls combined together to form on large wall that protected the team from the attacks. But, the army didn't slow down. They keep up the barrage of attacks and the wall was straining from the pressure.

"We can't keep this up forever." Amy said through gritted teeth.

I grinned and pointed in front of us. "You won't have to." Gunny and Mandy were both fully charged.

_"EXCEED CANNON!"_ Gunny shouted letting the insane blast fly.

_"ARTEMIS"S ARROW!"_ Mandy yelled letting the giant blue arrow go.

The two attacks hit their targets dead on and sent most of the army flying. Isa, Yuki and Jade rushed in swords drawn and their bodies sparking red. Isa stepped forwards and leaped into the air.

_"VAMPIRIC EDGE!"_ She shouted launching the black/red crescent shaped slash.

The group was blasted backwards straight into Jade's waiting attack. Jade held her glowing blade in front of her as a gust of wind started to surround her. It grew stronger and stronger until the powerful wind gathered into her blade. Jade let the attack fly. _"WHIRLWIND!"_ Jade shouted as dozens of different gusts of wind engulfed the enemy. It hit the group with force and caused a large number of them to pop into the air.

Yuki threw her sword into the air and jumped into the air. The sword flew over the group and then like a boomerang came flying back to Yuki. It slashed the group as it came back and Yuki grabbed the sword and used it's momentum to turn around. The sword began to glow blue and Yuki brought the sword forwards.

_"Boomerang Blade!"_ Yuki shouted slashing the group with the attack. It hit with deafening force and knocked the group onto the ground. Yuki landed softly on the ground.

This is taking way too long Yuki thought while she dodged a sword strike and parried another. Suddenly, the air was full of powerful magical energy. A group of Summoners have gathered together and formed a pentagram.

"I've never felt such a mass of concentrated mana. Whatever they're summoning can not be good." Gunny said with his goggles on.

We heard a blood curdling roar. A giant wood covered head and arms as large as tree trunks emerged from the portal.

"Golem," Ian whispered.

It wasn't any type of Golem either. It was a Wood Golem and judging from it's mana pressure it was a Dreadnaught.

"Gunny," I said quietly.

Gunny put on his goggles and began scanning the giant creature. "Wood Golem's hit pretty hard but considering this guy's mana pressure, I'm pretty sure he could nearly kill us with one hit. Also if you take in the fact that these creatures are incredibly hardy and can regen health, it's not looking good." He told me.

"They're weak against fire but it'll take a hell of a lot power to focus a strong enough attack." He added.

My already weak strategy had officially gone to shit. There is no way would focus on this guy and take out the rest of the army. Then an idea popped into my head and I grinned. "You have a crazy idea don't you?" Yuki asked knowingly. "Oh yeah," I replied.

* * *

We all dashed out of the way of the Golem's giant fist. Gunny and Lily both gathered their mana into their pistols.

_"SHOCKWAVE CANNON!"_ They shouted as they each let fly a Pulse Cannon which fused into one blast.

It hit the Golem pushing him back but not doing much damage. But we weren't counting on that. What we were counting on was that the Golem wasn't blocking his summoners anymore.

"TAKE EM OUT!" Lily shouted.

Blake and I dashed forwards both of us carrying our weapons. I dashed around the summoners at a blinding speed causing a gust of wind to carry them upwards. Blake leaped into the wind and began slashing the group as he rode the wind upwards. When he reached the top of the hurricane he gathered the wind into his axe which caused it to grow. _"GALE SMASH!"_ Blake shouted swinging the axe downwards into the group smashing them into the ground.

The result was instantaneous. The Golem began to roar in pain and confusion. It swung wildly hitting members of the other group.

"Looks like it worked." Amy said.

"Great, so we'll let them kill each other and we'll go home." Dan said clapping his hands together.

"We have to finish this." I said as I held onto my Remnant.

"REMNANT, FULL MANA TRANSFER!" I shouted as the rest of the mana of my team entered my body.

"Class Change! Blaze Blader!" My body exploded with the firey mana and my eyes had turned orange.

I fixed my blazing gaze on the giant creature. I focused my power into Excalibur and leaped into the air.

_"DESTINY DRAGON!"_ I shouted letting the dragon shaped slash fly.

It hit the golem and exploded with incredible force causing a few buildings to collapse.

"It's not enough power." I said simply.

The Golem roared and shook the flames off of it's body.

"All of our powers combined couldn't put a dent into that thing." Dan muttered numbly.

I looked at the Remnant. Do I dare try? Would I be able to control it like last time or would I lose control?

"We can beat this guy without using that Nick." Yuki told me.

I looked at her and back at the necklace, indecision still clearly written on my face.

"Nick, you need more fire power right?" Heart asked.

I looked at her in confusion. "Yes, why?" I asked.

Heart smiled. "I've got you covered." She said cheerfully.

She took a deep breath and I felt her mana spike radically. "MANA CHANGE! MANGUS!" Heart shouted as her body began to spark with yellow mana.

I felt her begin to charge up an incredible attack. "TETRA FIRE!" Heart shouted letting an absolutely astonishing fire ball fly.

Instead of hitting the Golem, it hit me and exploded. "HEART! What did you do?!" Everyone shouted.

Heart smiled and watched as my body absorbed the entirety of the attack. "I was helping."

I grinned. It wasn't an attack but just pure fire mana. If Heart really did become a fire mage like her mother wanted her to be, there's no doubt she'd be the strongest out of all of us.

"Thanks Heart, I'll finish this." I said gathering all the power into Excalibur.

I dashed forwards with my sword held at my side. I sidestepped both of the Golem's swinging fists and let the power in my sword explode into flames.

"TETRA STRIKE!" I shouted hitting the Golem with a giant fiery slash.

The monster roared as it's entire body caught on fire. It fell over with a thud.

"Amy, put it out." I said as my body returned to normal.

Amy sighed. "You know that you can be a hero and kill things too."

She casted Ice and put out the fire. Heart bit her lip, looked at the monster and looked back at me. I grinned.

"You saved my butt so go ahead Heart." I told her.

"YAY! Omega Heal!" Heart said as she healed the giant monster.

It sat up and it looked at us. "Why?" The creature's voice was dry and raspy.

"You were under a spell. It wouldn't be right to kill you for it." I replied.

I could exactly tell but it looked as if the Wood Golem was grateful. It stood up, it's body creaking and walked away.

"What if he started to attack instead?" Yuki asked.

"Then we'd be screwed." I said with a grin.

I looked over the team and they didn't look all that worse for wear. But, we were all pretty drained of mana.

"I can't believe we pulled that off. We got pretty lucky." Jade said.

"Yeah, I guess that Wood Golem was a good thing after all." Millie added.

I sat down on the ground felling tired. "You didn't think it was done after just that." I heard a famliar voice say.

My whole body tensed up and my blood froze. I jumped up and hear an arrow wiz by my ear. I turned around and say that it was stuck in Gunny's shoulder.

"DOWN!" I shouted as Surt blasted a beam of fire at us.

It hit Emily and Jade point blank. They flew backwards into a building that collapsed in on them. I looked at the group. Four of them. Four of the Twelve.

"So it was a trap inside a trap." I said glaring at them.

"Our leader calls it Trapception." The Archer (which had to Norn) said.

Trapception? I don't think the Netherworld has many internet memes. Could the leader of Enigma be a…human?

**END OF VOL**

* * *

**Thanks again for Agron1337 helping me out. Things have been really busy for me lately. The combination of school and my new job have basically eaten up all my time. I'm going to keep trying to put stuff up but it's going to be really spartic.**


	23. Mission 22 Against All Odds Part 3

My mind was running a mile a minute. This isn't good. This is _so _not good. I did a quick scan of everyone's mana pressure to gauge their ability to fight. The combination of taking out the army and me borrowing their energy have left them all but completely drained. They would recover their mana shortly but not as quickly as we needed it. Emily, Jade and Gunny were all in bad shape. Heart was desperately using what little mana she had left to try and help them.

"I guess your leader isn't underestimating us like the rest of you bozos." Isa snapped at Surt.

He smiled but his eyes were still hard. "He just always has a plan no matter how ludicrous the situation." He said calmly.

"We're here to make sure you all end up dead." Norn added her dark green eyes resting on me.

"Don't think we'll go down without a fight." Yuki said her hand on her sword.

"Yuki, stand down." I said simply.

Yuki looked at me with mild surprise. "Why should I?! You heard them. They aren't going to let us go!"

I gave her a soft smile. "You're completely drained of mana. I'm sorry, you'd just be dead weight. Let us handle this." I said nodding towards my siblings.

Yuki opened her mouth to argue but she knew it was pointless. The four of us generate our mana at much faster rate than our demon friends. We're not anywhere close to being at full strength but it's better than nothing.

"Surt, I want a fair fight between us. You four against us four. One on one. No intervening." I told him.

Surt sighed. "It's pointless either way. Fine."

Then the cloaked mage turned towards me. I noticed the roman VIII on his chest. He had to be Arabaki.

"This means you aren't allowed to use your Remnant on your siblings." He said in a flat voice.

I gave a tight smile. "Fine," I agreed.

I didn't have enough strength to pull off a full mana transfer anyways I thought.

"Hey bro, you don't mind if I kick off this little shindig do ya?" Isa asked stepping forwards and cracking her knuckles.

* * *

"I'll be your opponent." The dark haired woman with a long spear stepped forwards.

She had a XVI on her shoulder. "So you must be that Shiva lady." Isa said while drawing her sword.

"That's who am I but you won't live long enough to remember." Shiva replied and dashed forwards, spear first.

Isa parried the blow and the follow up attack. "_Met Sever!" _Isa shouted letting fly the signature attack of the Kitamura clan.

Shiva whirled her spear in a circle, catching the attack in the spiraling weapon. Shiva stopped moving her spear and sent the purple crescent back. Isa was shocked but she managed to dodge the attack by leaping back. It exploded harmlessly in front of her. Shiva dashed forwards and thrust her spear into Isa. Isa managed a block but she was sent reeling backwards. Shiva didn't miss a beat and focused her mana into her spear.

"_Spear Storm!" _Isa managed to get her balance back just time.

She dashed forwards zipping in between the spears. Her body began sparking with red mana and she drew her glowing sword back.

"_Dimensional Slash!" _Isa shouted letting the black/blue jagged slash go up close.

Shiva used her spear to block the attack but went skidding backwards. Isa began moving forwards intent on using _Blade Rush _but Shiva avoided the attack getting only a small nick in the arm. Isa looked surprised but then smirked.

"I have to admit it you ain't half bad." Shiva looked at Surt.

He nodded. Suddenly, I got an uneasy feeling. Shiva began gathering her mana but it wasn't normal. No way I thought as I felt the same feeling I did when I changed. Shiva's grey eyes changed to a blood red and her pupils became slits. It was the same dark mana that I used. Isa got a concerned look on her face but she shook it off.

"Don't say anything Nick. I can still handle this." Isa said as she charged up her own red mana.

Isa drew her sword as she prepared to launch her attack.

"_Dimensional Slash!" _Shiva knocked the attack away as if it was nothing.

Isa's dumbfounded look mirrored my own. Shiva dashed forwards and whirled her body, her spear began sparking.

"_Spear Spark!" _ Shiva shouted but Isa leaped up into the air avoiding the attack.

Isa brought her sword back. "_Winged Slayer!" _ Isa shouted letting the wing shaped energy slash go.

Shiva leaped sideways and the attack hit the ground blowing dust and debris everywhere. Isa looked through the dust trying to spot Shiva and felt a jump in mana pressure.

"_Spear Storm!" _ Dozens of spear shaped projectiles began piercing the dust.

"SHIT!" Isa yelled as she blocked the attacks with her sword but one went through her shoulder.

Her scream chilled my blood to ice and I had to bite back my instincts. She landed on the ground but Shiva was waiting for her.

"_Spear Spark!" _This one hit Isa directly and she cried out as she flew backwards hitting the ground with a thud.

"Nick we can't just stand here." Amy pleaded with me.

"We had an agreement. If you interfere, so will we." Surt smirked.

I choked back my anger. If I interfered, we're all going to die. If I don't, my sister is going to die.

"Hey, I'm not out yet. I can still take this bitch. I still have one ace up my sleeve." Isa gasped as she slowly got back to her feet.

I couldn't do anything. I hated this feeling more than than anything. "Nick, have faith in your sister." Yuki said to me.

"But," I started.

"You can't be there to protect everyone. Just give them a chance to protect themselves." Yuki told me.

I sighed and then I smiled. "You're right as usual." Isa pulled out a short staff and focused her mana on it. It lengthened and a large curved red blade made of pure mana appeared on the end of it. Isa whirled it around effortlessly and got into a fighting stance.

"The Weapon of the Dead. Harbinger." Shiva said looking at it.

"It's awesome huh? And in two seconds, it's gonna be burried in your face." Isa said with a smirk.

Her body sparked with red mana as Shiva's sparked with the black mana.

* * *

"_Spear Storm!" _The barrage of spears went straight at Isa.

"You're just a one trick pony aren't you?" Isa said with a grin as she readied herself.

The blade on her weapon grew three times bigger and with one swing knocked away all the spears. Isa smirked at the stunned expression on everyone's face. She dashed forwards and leaped into the air. She raised her Harbinger above her head and her mana pressure spiked.

"_Soul Reap!" _ Isa shouted as she slammed Shiva into the ground.

Isa landed on the ground and her weapon returned to it's normal state. I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"So, what was that you said about us ending up dead?" Isa asked Norn.


	24. Mission 23 Against All Odds Part 4

I was still in awe of the power Isa just displayed. This is what a legacy is capable of huh? I thought. "Norn, you're up." Surt said simply. It seems that watching Isa's fight had taken some of the wind out of his sails. The Roman X was on her shoulder and she held her short bow in her hand. She is definitely as good as Mandy judging by her stance. Maybe even better. "Ian, you want to do this?" I asked my little brother. His eyes were already locked on Norn and he seemed incredibly focused. "She's the bad guy who hurt Gunny, Emily and Jade right?" He asked me. "Yeah, she is." I replied. He nodded slowly and began walking forwards.  
"Are you sure about this Nick? Doesn't Norn have the advantage here being a long range fighter?" Millie inquired. "If it was a normal fighter than yes, but this is Ian. I'd say he's got a shot against anyone." I replied. Norn raised her bow in the air and it began to glow. "Raining Rush!" Norn shouted as she let fly a single shot that burst into dozens of arrows that began to rain down on to the earth. Ian didn't hesitate. He dashed forwards avoiding the blasts in the process. He pulled his fist back as it started to glow. "Rising Dragon!" He shouted attempting the flaming uppercut. Norn however nimbly stepped back and Ian's attack found only air. Norn drew her bow back, the tip glowing blue. Ian's eyes widened as he realized he was wide open. He twisted himself around in mid air and drew his hand back. "Sonic Shot!" "Mach Punch!" The two attacks met causing a massive shockwave and blowing both of them back. Ian landed on his feet and while he was still sliding backwards, drew his hands back. "Big Bang!" He shouted letting the massive ball fly. Norn raised her bow as the attack came hurtling towards her. Her mana spiked as I felt a chill go through me. Norn was tapping into the same dark mana that Shiva did. Did everyone in Enigma know how to do it? If they did its gonna make our lives a hell of a lot harder. She split into three and all of them shot a blast that merged into one. "Delta Spilt!" The attack bore through the ball rendering it harmless. Ian leapt into the air and the blast hit where he was standing just seconds ago. However, Norn's clones were waiting for him. "Sonic Shot!" Both of them shouted blasting him back down. "She has full control of her copies! This is so not good." Dan exclaimed in shock. Judging from the look on Mandy's face, She didn't think so either. Ian stood up and watched as Norn gathered mana into the massive black/purple arrow that was shapped like a spear she was holding. "Spear Shot!" Norn shouted as the arrow went right through Ian. He gasped in pain and fell to his knees. Yuki put a hand on my shoulder before I took off running. I gritted my teeth but stood still. Surt's condescending smirk was back on his face. Ian however stood back up. "Finish this Norn." Surt ordered. Norn prepared another Spear Shot. Ian however didn't move. He put both his hands in his pockets and his body began to radiate the yellow mana of Mana Flow. "Spear Shot!" Norn cried out as she sent the arrow flying. In on smooth motion, Ian pulled out his hands and caught the attack. It sent him skidding backwards but he dig in managing to stop. "Dragonheart." He whispered. The circular discs on his gloves and shoes began to whirl with force. He sent the attack right back at Norn. Her clones got in the way and were destroyed. "Ultimus; the Dragon Fist. Made from the scales of an ancient dragon and charged with it's mana." I heard Yuki murmur behind me. I always knew Ian was a talented fighter for his age but this pressure he's giving off..is just astonishing. Norn looked a little uneasy which made Surt lose what little patience he had left. "He's just a child! Attack!" Surt shouted. Norn summoned her clones once again. They all charged an attack and let the arrow fly. "Delta Spilt!" They all shouted. The blast headed towards Ian who still looked completely calm and collected. The gears in his shoes started spinning and he dashed forwards. He ran straight through the blast momentarily becoming invisible. Norn spent her clones at him but Ian pulled his arm back and made a sudden stop. The gears in his hands began to whirl. "Sonic Straight!" He shouted as he pushed his hand forward shifting his momentum. The attack caused a shockwave which sent all the clones flying. He didn't stop and went straight for Norn. The gears on both his gloves and shoes were spinning and sparking with power. Norn began pulsing with even more dark power. She was going to put her all into this attack. "IAN" We all shouted. "Spear Shot!" The arrow was even more powerful than the last. It hit Ian and he seemed to vanish. The blast evaporated and there was nothing. We all felt a spike of mana. Ian was glowing yellow with mana and was behind Norn. All the mana flowed into his hand as he rushed forwards. Born prepared to block the attack with one of her own but Ian went right through her and vanished. When Norn turned around he wasn't there. Norn turned back to face Ian."Mirage Punch!" Ian shouted hitting Born dead on. The force of hit sent her rocketing backwards and she collapsed. Ian simply put his hands back into his pocket and walked back to us.


	25. Mission 24 Against All Odds Part 5

Surt's face was showing nothing short of absolute fury. "It seems things aren't going to well for ya huh?" Isa teased. Surt' s mana pressure jumped up but Arabaki simply put his hand on Surt' s shoulder. "Remember no interference." Dan added with a smirk. "I will end this."Arabaki said evenly. There was no doubt that Arabaki was stronger than both Norn and Shiva. "So, I'm up huh?" Amy said stepping forwards. "Yeah" I answered. "Relax, I'm not gonna lose after watching my younger siblings win." Amy grinned.  
Arabaki simply raised his hand and charged a ball of red mana. "Tera Fire." Arabaki launched the destructive blast as if it was nothing. Amy was just as shocked as the rest of us. "Shield!" Amy shouted barely managing to put up a defense. The blast broke the shield and sent her spinning backwards. She managed to land on her feet and looked up at Arabaki who was charging another blast. "Tera Wind." Arabaki shot the blast from his other hand. Amy leaped to her side and the blast hit where she was standing. The force of the blast sent her reeling. But Amy was back on her feet and she drew her hands back. "Omega Ice!" She shouted letting the icy blast fly. Arabaki simply batted the blast away as if it was nothing. "You're the mage of Valiant are you not? I'm quite disappointed." Amy let her mana pressure spike. "Fine then. I'll show you what I can do." She created a ball of wind energy in one hand and a ball of star energy in the other. She forced the balls together and pushed the sparking ball downwards. She took off heading straight at Arabaki. "Lightning Blade!" She shouted pushing the attack into Arabaki. The attack hit and sent Arabaki skidding backwards. Amy didn't let up and charged her mana again. "Ice Beam!" Amy shouted releasing the blast. The attack hit Arabaki dead on and froze his body solid. Arabaki broke out of it almost instantly but Amy was preparing her next attack. Her body was glowing green with the Magnus mana as she pointed both her hands forwards. "Tera Ice!" The blast of frozen fury hit Arabaki with incredible force and caused an explosion. Amy panted as she watched the dust clear to show that Arabaki had put up a shield and blocked the attack as if it was nothing. That was a Tera Ice spell from Amy who specializes in ice. There's no way he should have been able to block that so easily I thought. Amy seemed to agree with me judging by the look on her face. Arabaki patted the dust off his rope. "You're magic is strong but it will never match mine. I have given my mind and soul to the arcane arts. Watch and learn young witch. What true power is all about." Arabaki began radiating with a dark force. He was tapping into the dark mana. Amy looked at the fearful pressure but she looked as calm as she's ever been. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver bracelet that was shaped like a dragon with a green gem in the center. She put it on and it lengthened till it coiled around her entire arm. The head of the dragon attached itself to the tip of her middle finger. Amy had kept her eyes shut the entire time the dragon was wrapping itself around her arm. When she opened them again, her eyes were a bright green and her pupils looked like slits. "The Draco Oculus." Arabaki whispered. "Or as I like to call it the Dragon's Eye." Ayans said as her body glowed green with power. Arabaki began glowing with the black mana. Both of them drew back their hands and gathered their mana. "I think it would be smart if we took cover." Yuki said as she calmly walked backwards. We all stepped slowly backwards until only Dan was left standing there. "Huh, where did everyone go?" He asked looking around him and then he felt the mana pressure peak. "Oh shit.." "TERA ICE!" "TERA WIND" The two mages fired the pinnacle of their respective elements. The blasts hit each other with massive force and exploded. The shockwave blew Dan so he went flying head over heels straight into a wall and fell down. The wall then collapsed on top of him. The dust cleared and there was a massive crater where the blasts hit. Both mages looked unharmed. Amy and Arabaki seem to be able to match each other blow for blow. But Amy can't keep up this level of power for long. Unless Amy gets creative she's going to lose. Arabaki and Amy began to charge up their mana once again. Arabaki drew his hands back and gathered his power. "Tera Wind!" The blast came barreling towards Amy. "Giga Accel." Amy whispered. She dashed to her side avoiding the massive attack. She stood unharmed as her mana pressure skyrocketed. "She can't be doing what I think she is." Emily said. "She going for it huh? This is gonna be awesome." Isa grinned. Amy created a Tera Wind ball in one hand and a Tera Ice ball in the other. She pushed the balls together and forced them into a single light blue colored burst forwards with insane speed. Arabaki brought his hand forward. "As if I'd let you! TERA FIRE!" Amy pulled her arm back and leaped straight at Arabaki. "BLIZZARD BLADE!" She shouted pushing straight into the fiery attack. Her attack caused the fire to dissipate and she hit Arabaki with the attack directly. It exploded freezing the area where attack hit and caused a massive ice spire to sprout up. Frozen in the center was Arabaki. Amy clenched her fist and the spire burst. Arabaki dropped to the ground out for count. These legacies are amazing. My siblings were able to beat three of the Twelve so soundly I thought. It began to snow lightly because of the cold. "She literally froze hell over." Jade said in awe. Dan looked at Lily. "The answer is still no." She responded instantly. "Do you still want to do this Surt? You should give up now." Yuki said looking at the fire wielder. Surt laughed. "We still have one more fight to go through. Isn't that right Nick?" My team looked at me. "We did have a deal. Four vs Four. No interference." I told them. "You don't have to go through with this. We can just jump this asshole and be done with it." Isa urged. "I gave him my word. I can't go back on it. You guys know that." I said with a smile. "I know we can't talk you out of this but I want you to give me your word. Don't use that mana." Yuki was looking me straight in the eye. I turned away from her and towards Surt."I'm sorry Yuki. I can't make a promise I can't keep." I walked forwards. Surt and I faced off. "I have a really bad feeling about this." Millie muttered. Surt and I both began radiating with fiery mana which caused the snow to turn to rain. I'm finally going to see if this training has been worth it. I drew Excalibur and readied myself for battle.

**It's been while guys. First of all huge thanks to Argon1337 for beta reading as usual and for giving me a review. Well we' re finally almost at the end of this long fight. The next one is defiantly a dozy and it's not gonna go the way you guys think. Anyways until next time. Later!**


	26. Mission 25 The Other Side of Me

"Flaming Crescent!" "Omega Fire!"

We flung the devastating fire attacks at each other without wasting a second. The two attacks hit with force but Surt and I dashed straight through the explosion. Surt began throwing lightning quick punches that I blocked with my sword. Sparks flew each time we clashed. Surt stepped back his fist glowing with fiery mana.

"Dragon Claw!" Surt attacked with a fiery right hook that formed a claw.

I ducked straight downwards holding my sword behind me. I moved my whole body forwards and brought my sword upwards.

"Rising Rocket!" I shouted attacking with a white slash.

But Surt stepped back and the attack whizzed by harmlessly. He brought his flaming fist forwards.

"Inferno Fist!" Surt shouted attacking but I managed to block with my sword.

The impact still sent me flying but I still managed to land on my feet. But Surt dashed forwards with insane speed. His fist was glowing red with more firey mana. I raised my sword and my mana pressure changed slightly as I switched to Paldin. Surt however didn't seem to notice.

"Mega Accel." I whispered.

Surt leaped into the air and hit the air.

"What?" Surt said in confused as he was falling and looked to his side.

I had sidestepped the attack and was in position. I dashed around Surt forming a raging whirlwind that I rode to the top.

"As if I'd let you!" Surt shouted as he exploded with firey mana and blasted himself free.

I was still hanging in the air but I didn't let it stop me. While I was falling I pulled my sword back.

"Met Sever!" I shouted letting the trademarked Kitamura purple and black slash fly.

Surt leaped backwards and the attack hit the already mangled battlefield. I landed and took off towards Surt once again but he ducked under my swing.

"Rising Dragon!" Surt shouted hitting me dead on with the fiery uppercut.

I went flying straight up but Surt wasn't done. He jumped up after me. He began dashing around the air and hitting with lightening fast attacks. Until he came up over me with his fist glowing.

"King of the Beasts!" Surt shouted attacking with a glowing fist.

I hit the ground with force. Surt put his hands together. "This is the end for you human! DEATHBOUND!" Surt screamed as he let a blood red fire blast the size of a truck loose.

I stood back up as the blast hit me. Surt landed on the ground with a smirk on his face. "That is how a real fire user fights."

Then everyone felt a massive spike in mana pressure. The fire cleared and I was staring at Surt with bright orange eyes. _This is what he's been training for. The power to enter Blaze Blader on his own Yuki thought. _Surt laughed. "That form failed to defeat me before. What makes now any different?"

I let my mana pressure rise and I held Excalibur at the ready. "Everything." I replied simply.

"You're still no match for me! DEATHBOUND!" Surt screamed launching the immense blood red attack again.

I raised my sword and swung, cutting the attack clean in two. The attack exploded harmlessly behind me. Surt looked at me in disbelief.

"This is your last chance to surrender Surt. You can't beat me now." I offered calmly.

Surt looked at me and began laughing maniacally. "Me? Surrender to you? You must be joking. I am one of the Twelve. The most powerful demons in the Netherworld. I'd rather die." He growled as he charged straight at me.

I let my fire mana flow and then I focused it into my sword and dashed forwards going straight through Surt in an instant. He stood seemingly unharmed. But suddenly a massive dragon made of firey mana came charging at Surt.

"It's over! Destiny Drive!" I shouted as the attack hit engulfing Surt in powerful flames.

He fell to his knees smoking and fell over unconscious. I let out a big sigh of relief as I returned to normal.

"Not bad, of course I could have done that too." Dan said cockily.

I smiled. "I'm glad you let me have the spotlight this time."

Isa clapped me on the back. "You did good bro. I was more cool but still." She told me.

I looked at Yuki who turned away with an annoyed huff.

"Are you mad at me Yuki?" I asked confused.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you something I don't want to." She huffed.

"Looks like there's trouble in paradise." Amy snickered.

I looked at Gunny with pleading eyes. He sighed and whispered in my ear. I perked up.

"Yuki I hear that the Arcane blacksmith is having a clearance sale on all sharp pointy things. I can take you." I told her.

Yuki looked at me with shiny eyes. "Really?" She asked.

I nodded. She cleared her throat. "I guess considering the circumstances I can forgive you." Yuki replied in a dignified tone.

"Why do I get the feeling when she was younger she went off with strangers and then beat the scrap out of them when they didn't have candy?" Dan muttered.

Blake nodded in agreement. "We beat four of the Twelve. I can't believe it." Mandy smiled.

I couldn't either but we did it. With Isa, Ian and Amy's new powers, we might stand a chance of winning. Suddenly I felt a chill go down my spine. We all turned around and saw Surt standing his whole body surrounded with black mana. His eyes were completely black.

"I lost against a weak child. I can't believe it " I heard him mutter his voice echoing.

"Is he doing that dark mana thing too?" Isa asked.

Gunny pulled on his googles and looked at Surt's mana. He turned pale and pulled them off.

"This is so not good." Gunny told us.

"What's wrong? We can still take him right?" Jade asked.

"Look," I pointed at Surt who was beginning to change.

The normally discreet fangs of the demons were jutting out of his mouth like a sabertooth. His hair had become wild and his finger nails became sharp looking claws. His eyes were completely black with red pupils.

"The dark mana has completely taken over Surt' s body." Yuki said.

We all looked at what Surt had become.

"This power is amazing." He said in his new throaty voice.

He looked at us and smiled showing us his fangs. He pointed his finger at us.

"We aren't done yet Valiant. Solar Flare!" He launched a massive fire ball out at us from his finger.

I looked at the mage girls try to put up a wall.

"It's no use! Get out of the way!" I shouted.

We all scattered and the massive attack hit the ground destroying what little was left of Terel.

"Defensive Formation! Anchor!" I hollered as we all shifted into position.

It was a formation with Blake, Connor, Isa, Ian, Jade, Yuki and I all in front taking most of the damage while our ranged fighters did their thing.

Yuki and I dashed forwards swords in position. We leaped into the air together. "Dragon Cross!" We shouted but Surt caught our swords with his hands and threw us like rag dolls.

Jade and Isa had already started their attack. "Blade Cross!" But their swords broke when they struck Surt.

Blake and Connor were running forwards. Connor leaped up and Blake used the flat of his axe as a springboard launching Connor into the air. Connor came towards Surt spear first and Blake came up to him but Surt roared. The mana pressure he gave off sent the pair of them flying. "Damn it! Offensive Formation! Pickaxe!" I shouted as we all scrambled into position.

The close range fighters simply stepped back and gave our ranged attacks a clear path. "Exceed Cannon!" "Artemis' s Arrow!" "Pulse Cannon!" "Tri Star!" "Tera Fire!" "Tera Star!" "Tera Ice!" All the attack merged into one massive multi colored blast.

Surt stood still and simply smacked the attack away as if it was nothing. The entire team was stunned. We had never come up against such an overwhelming power.

"Everything. We need to put everything into this attack." I said to my team.

They nodded and they all tapped into their respective mana altering techniques. I held up the Remanent.

"FULL MANA TRANSFER! CLASS CHANGE!" I shouted as the power of my friends and family flowed through my veins.

My body exploded with power as my eyes turned orange.

"BRAVEHEART!" Amy and Emily shouted buffing me.

I dashed forwards my sword held behind me. Heart prepared a giant ball of pure fire mana and fired it towards me and when she did she collapsed to her knees. The ball hit my sword and was absorbed by it. I leaped up with my firey sword held behind me.

"TETRA STRIKE!" I shouted letting the powerful blast fly.

It hit Surt with force and exploded. The explosion sent me flying backwards. I fell to my knees panting along with the rest of the team. When the dust cleared Surt was still standing with not a scratch on him.

"Do you see now boy? You never a had chance against a member of Enigma." Surt said with a smirk.

_What can we do? Gunny thought. We had barely recovered enough to launch that attack. We're finished._ I stood up my eyes set.

"Nick," Yuki said looking at me.

I grinned. "I had a feeling it would come to this."

I pulled off the Remanent and a dark aura surrounded it.

"Nick, DON'T!" She screamed.

"DARK MANA TRANSFER!" I shouted as my body was exploded with the dark mana.

When the dust was beginning to thin, Team Valaint could make could make out dark purple eyes.

"It's about time we get this party started!"

* * *

**First thing I have to say is it's been one year since I joined this site and started this story. Time sure flies huh? I want to thank everyone who's been reading. It's what keeps me going. Big ups to Argon 1337 for beta reading for me and everyone who always leaves a review. You guys are awesome. Anyways as for the story, next chapter should be an interesting one. Until next time, Later!**


	27. Mission 26 The Other Side of Me Part 2

Nick was standing there looking no different than he normally did. His black hair was still as messy as it was before. He didn't grow any fangs or claws. If his eyes hadn't changed to purple, nothing would have been out of place. But there was something about him that seemed...off. Surt stared at Nick in mild surprise.

"I had no idea that humans could tap into this power as well. No matter, you are still no match for me."

Nick sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "You really have your head up your own ass don't you? Let me spell out for you Wolf boy, I'm not only gonna kick your ass but I'm gonna have fun doing it." Nick replied with a smirk.

"Since when does Nick say stuff like that?" Dan asked in confusion.

"He did, at least when he was younger." Amy said with concern in her voice.

"What do you mean when he was younger?" Gunny inquired.

"Exactly what she said. Nick was kinda a delinquent when he was younger." Isa grinned.

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted.

* * *

"I'll kill you right now!" Surt shouted pointing his finger at Nick.

Nick still had his smirk on his face and pulled out Excalibur. He adopted a batter's pose and held his sword at the ready. "I'm hitting this one right outta the park wolfly." Nick was pointing to the sky with his sword.

Surt looked even more annoyed. "If you want to die so badly, I'm more than happy to comply. SOLAR FLARE!" Surt hollered as he fired a ball of fire the size of a mountain at Nick.

Nick swung his sword and sent the ball flying to the left. He shielded his eyes with his hands and watched the attack fly off into the distance. Nick frowned. "Aw, foul ball. Alright then, give me one straight down the middle!" Nick got back into his batting position.

Surt looked furious. "Do you think this is a game boy? I'm through playing around with you! DEATHBOUND!" Surt pushed his hands forwards and let loose the immensely powerful dark red burst.

It came barreling towards Nick who swung his sword again and hit the attack straight upwards. "Pop fly huh? I guess I didn't get under it enough." Nick sighed wistfully.

Nick then turned to Surt with a smirk and pointed upwards. "So are you gonna catch that?"

Surt looked up and barely managed to dodge his own attack. Nick however came dashing forwards with crazy speed while holding his sword behind him.

"Fore!" Nick shouted while hitting Surt with an upward swing of his sword.

Surt flying backwards and rolled several feet until he stopped just inches away from the massive crater that Amy and Arabaki made during their fight.

"Just shy of the hole in one. Man, I suck at sports." Nick sighed and put his sword over his shoulder as he headed towards Surt.

Suddenly, there was a massive jump in mana pressure as Surt stood back up.

"Oh looks like ya got some fight left in ya?" Nick said with a sly smile.

Surt rushed forwards with insane force and pulled back his fist. He tried to hit Nick who caught his fist. Surt looked stunned and Nick grinned. He pulled Surt and then twirled him like a top. Surt went spinning away at a high speed and then looped around back towards Nick. Nick caught Surt and then dipped him as if they were dancing.

"You know if you weren't an ugly wolfman, I might have given you a rose." Nick said with a smirk on his face.

Surt roared and exploded with fiery mana. Nick leaped backwards still grinning. "Come on, that was pretty much a compliment."

Surt was shaking with fury. "You dare make a fool of ME!" Surt shouted pointing at Nick.

"I can't take all the just happen to give me a lot of material to work with." Nick shrugged.

Surt looked at Nick and then began laughing maniacally.

"See there you go. You gotta learn to take a few jokes and stop being such an asshole." Nick grinned.

Surt was still laughing as his dark aura grew even stronger. Nick for the first time since he changed got a serious look on his face.

"You guys better get out of here." He told his Team.

"What the hell are you talking about? You've been kicking his ass this whole time." Isa replied.

"You see I can't really perform when people are watching me. I'm more of a one on one kinda guy." Nick winked.

"What the hell do you..." Connor started but Yuki cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder.

Yuki looked Nick right in the eyes as they changed from purple to brown. "Don't die." She said.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." I replied with a small smile.

* * *

I watched as my team took off and turned my attention back to Surt who was surrounded by a whirling inferno. There's no way I can Get anywhere near it without getting turned into BBQ. But if that thing hits the ground, it will annihilate everything in a 50 mile radius judging from the sheer amount of power. I can't let it hit no matter what! I have only one choice. I pulled out Excalibur and took a deep breath.

"DIE HUMAN! SOLAR IMPLOSION!" Surt screamed as launched the fireball the size of a country at me.

It flew towards me and I thrust out my sword to meet it. I managed to pierce it but the sheer power sent me skidding backwards. I broke through what few buildings were still remotely standing. I dug in my feet breaking the ground as I tried desperately to find a foothold.

"Come on! Excalibur I know you have more power than this! Don't give in! EXCALIBUR!" I cried out as the legendary sword reacted to my plea.

The attack was being absorbed by Excalibur as the dark mana was purified and recharged me. Once the attack was fully absorbed I put all the power into one focused attack.

"DRAGON TAKE WING! TETRA STRIKE!" I shouted letting the powerful flames of the Dragon take life into a massive orange/red slash.

Once I let the attack fly Excalibur returned to its stone state. The attack hit Surt with fiery force and exploded. I watched as Surt returned to his normal state and fall over. I fell on my butt with a big sigh of relief. This time we really did beat them. I stood back up and walked over to the unconscious bodies of the Enigma members. "It's time for you all pay for what you've done. SEAL!" I shouted as a small Dragon appeared on all their foreheads.

"Now it's really over." I said as I saw my team come running towards me. The next thing I knew the ground was racing up to meet me.

* * *

I woke up with a start and found myself in my room back at the Guild HQ. I jumped up ignoring my screaming body and towards the meeting room. Along the way I bumped into a familiar little boy.

"Josh?" I asked uncertainly.

"Hi Nick, look I'm all better!" Josh said beaming.

I knelt down and looked at him. His wound had completely healed but there was another problem.

"I'm glad. Leave the reckless stuff to me from now on alright?" I asked him while I ruffled his hair.

"As you're no fun." He pouted.

He walked away waving as he left.

"You felt it didn't you?" I heard Jezebel say.

"Yeah, his mana has decreased. His body must have used it to keep him alive." I said quietly.

"It seems he won't ever be a powerful fighter." She told me.

"No, if anything it seems he will be a really powerful fighter." I grinned.

Jezebel looked surprised but then understood what I meant.

"You might be right. The others are waiting for you." She said going into the room.

* * *

"Are you telling me you had no control over yourself?" Aki asked in surprise.

I had a sheepish look on my face. "Kinda. It was like I was watching it happen but I had no control." Aki sighed.

"What if you decided to attack the team or joined forces with Enigma?" Roan pointed out.

"I would never do something like that!" I insisted.

"But you had no control correct? Who knows what you would have done?" Hella argued.

They did have a point. "Could we cut the guy some slack? If he didn't do it we'd all be dead right about now." Millie said.

"I hate to agree with the thief but she's right. It didn't ever seem like Nick was going to attack us. He even tried to protect us." Yuki added.

"Besides, that other Nick like a pretty fun guy. You saw how he twirled around Surt. That was awesome!" Dan exclaimed.

Everyone stared at him. "Not now Dan." Isa hissed.

Aki sighed. "You all defeated the enemy and came back in one piece. Let's just leave it at that."

Yuki tossed over Excalibur. "You should just leave your stuff laying around." She told me.

"Thanks Yuki..." I paused and looked at my sword with a confused look on my face.

"What's wrong?" Gunny asked me.

"I can't feel any sort of power from Excalibur." I said in shock.

* * *

We were all looking at the stone sword that I placed on the table. Jezebel was trying to tap into the swords energy but didn't seem to make any progress.

"Well? What's the diagnosis doc?" Dan asked.

"Nothing. I can't feel anything. It's as if the sword sealed itself up." Jezebel told us.

"So, what can I do? I can't take on Enigma without Excalibur." I asked.

"You're going to have to into Excalibur's Item World." She replied.

The Item World? I've heard stories about many warriors venturing into their weapons Item Worlds to strengthen them. But with a Legacy, it's near impossible to survive the onslaught of Demon Lord tier monsters and fighters.

"The Item World huh? There are probably some really strong monsters to fight." Isa said with a faraway look on her face and a silly smile.

"No for something like this, I think it's best if Nick goes alone." Roan said.

The entire team stared at him. "Are you nuts?! He'll get killed if he goes on his own!" Millie shouted.

"I want to go with Nick." Ian muttered.

"I think he's right. I have this feeling that it really is something I have to do myself." I said.

"Nick, are you sure?" Yuki asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Aki clapped his hands together. "Alright then. Tomorrow, Nick will venture into the Item World."

* * *

**Alright then, the fight with Enigma is done...for now. Things are moving in a different direction thing I hope you guys expected. As for the Item World, I always thought it was really interesting in concept (I didn't really use it much when I played. Mostly because I sucked :P). So, I'm really excited about this upcoming arc and I hope you guys are too! Until next time, Later!**


	28. Mission 27 Laid Back

I was laying in my bed my mind running a mile a minute. The Item World. I was both excited and terrified. I'm going to see what makes my sword so strong. I turned over trying to sleep but it was useless. I laid back in my bed and sighed. I got really lucky against Surt and if I didn't have Excalibur, I'm sure he would have killed me. I'm pretty sure that the rest of the Twelve are just as strong or even stronger than Surt. If I don't have Excalibur to fight them...I don't want to think about it. I jumped up and put on my leather armor and grabbed an Iron Sword. I tip toed to the dojo and pulled the door behind me. I turned around and saw Yuki standing there waiting for me."What took you so long? We have work to do." She asked me while pulling out her sword.

* * *

I collapsed on the ground dead tired.

"I forgot how intense you could get about training." I moaned.

Yuki put away her Katsuki and sat down next to me in silence. I sat back up and looked at Yuki.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"How can you be so laid back about all this? The Item World is a dangerous place with a team but on your own, I can't even imagine. I know you're strong Nick but..." Yuki had a worried expression on her face.

I looked at Yuki. "Squish." I said while poking her face.

"What the hell was that for?!" She cried out in annoyance.

I grinned. " I just thought it was cute how you were worrying about me."

Yuki opened her mouth to say something but just sighed. I jumped to my feet.

"Don't worry too much, Yuki. I'll be fine. I'll figure out what's wrong with Excalibur and fix it. Trust me." I held out my hand to help her to her feet.

Yuki smiled and took my hand. "If I didn't trust you, I'd be even more worried."

* * *

It was finally the day that I was supposed to go to the Item World and we had all gathered in the meeting room.

"Are you sure about this Nick? We can go with you." Amy asked me.

"I told you guys, I'll be fine." I replied.

"Gunny, tell me what I can expect in the Item World?"

Gunny still looked unsure but put on his goggles anyway.

"The Item World is a magical dimension based on a chosen weapon. Depending on the strength of the weapon, the inhabitants will be either be weak or as strong as an Overlord. Judging from Excalibur, you'll probably have the latter." Gunny told me as he pushed his goggles back on his forehead.

"Gee, thanks for that Gunny." Dan muttered sarcastically.

"Jezebel, I'm ready for this." I said patting my Knight Sword and my other sword.

Jezebel nodded as her eyes turned blue. She put her power into the sword lying on the table and it began to open a rift above it. I nodded towards my team and leaped into the portal. It closed shut behind me.

"Do think he'll be okay?" Mille asked Yuki.

"I hope so." Yuki said simply.

* * *

I came out of a portal in the sky and fell flat on my face. I looked around in the strange place I was in. The normal blue sky of the Netherworld was a blood red and I was standing on what looked like multi colored tiles. It seemed that there was nothing for miles. I stood up and dusted myself off. _This doesn't seem all that bad I thought to myself. _Then I felt a massive spike in mana pressure. I drew my sword and barely managed to block the powerful blast directed at me. I looked up at my attackers and saw that it was an Executioner along with a number of other powerful looking monsters.

"You wish to find the guardian? Then you must face the Gaunlet." The Executioner bellowed in it's powerful voice.

I got into a fighting stance and gave the group of monsters a grin.

"Well, looks like this going to be as hard a I thought it would be."


End file.
